Between a Rock And Another Big Rock
by Didi
Summary: The crew goes hunting underground for Xindis. Completed!
1. Recon

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** I told myself not to do another Star Trek story after reading several spectacular ones already posted. Cannot possibly compare. But I couldn't help myself. No particularly pairing at this point, it's just story with little hints here and there. Hopefully, there won't be too many booing in the back when I'm through. If you've read my first fic, you'll know that I'm a Hoshi fan. This story will be Hoshi centric but hopefully I've given enough 'airtime' to everyone to keep the hissing down.

Also, I don't know Major Hayes's first name so I'm going to follow Gia's example and call him Matthew (Matt) Hayes. A solid name of a very solid man. (Sigh, Major Hayes is such a wonderful character played oh-so beautifully by Steven Culp. I'm so going to miss him. But we can all watch the actor on the new show "Desperate Housewives.")

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts"_

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter One - Recon**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"And this thing is where?"

"Nowhere I want to be at," came the cheeky reply.

"Not funny, Trip," Archer said with a grime face. Rubbing his forehead with more force than necessary, the captain looked up to regard his armory officer and science officer with a look that bordered painful. "And the information is accurate?"

"There would appear to be no reason for these people to be untruthful," T'Pol said stately, her Vulcan control allowing no clue of her actually thoughts. "They do not appear to have any connection to the Xindi."

"I don't like it," Lt. Reed stated in his blunt manner. "It could be a trap."

"They could have _all_ been traps but it's never stopped us before," Trip pointed out with a shrug. Truth be told, the idea had already cross the chief engineer's mind and readily been dismissed. As it's been pointed out to him since entering the expense, this whole damn mission was a risk in itself; why stop at the little ones now.

"Caution isn't a luxury we have at the moment, Malcolm," Archer reminded his armory officer and looked at his ceiling as he considered his options. The pencil stuck there from an attack some months back was still there, lodged between the almost invisible seams of the ship. It was but one of the few remaining souvenir from Earth he's been able to keep. That and Porthos. "Give me the details again."

T'Pol's ready data pad was handed over immediately. "It's a subterranean cavern just below the surface of the oceanic planes. Our best estimate that it's approximately ten thousand feet below sea level on this planet. The only entrance is under the third mountain over on the eastern region of the fourth continent."

"The only land entrance you mean," Archer said softly.

"No," T'Pol replied with one arched brow in what could be described as annoyance… if she weren't Vulcan. "If that were the case, I would have specified." Then again, T'Pol has been on the ship almost three years now. Some human traits could have rubbed off. "The area just over the cavern from the water entrance is the junction of three currents. The vortex created by the intersecting currents would crush any vehicle that attempts to approach from sea."

"Including a shuttle?" Trip asked skeptically.

The only answer received was a pointed look.

"But there's a tunnel that goes from the mountain down into the bottom of the ocean?" Lieutenant Reed's expression mirrored what Tucker and Archer were feeling. "That's positively illogical."

"Perhaps," T'Pol replied softly. "But it is what it is."

"And Hoshi has double checked the UT's translation on this doohickey, right?" Trip asked once more. The thought of spending three days walking blindly underground wasn't his idea of a good time. "How do these people know that the Xindi's been using their home planet to build this thingy?"

"A molecular de-stabilizer," T'Pol informed him coolly. It never ceases to amaze her how little of these technical terms the obviously competent engineer remembers. "Perhaps we should ask Ensign Soto to join us."

Because he could sense that his second-in-command was losing patience with them, if Vulcans can lose patience, Archer nodded. "Good idea," reaching over and punching the intercom button on his desk. "Archer to Bridge."

"Bridge," Ensign Soto's sweetly tuned voice answered.

"Hoshi, would you join us in my ready room please?"

"I'm on my way, sir," Hoshi answered and clicked off.

Turning, then communications officer exchanged a curious glance with Travis before shrugging her shoulder to answer his silent question. Rising, she gave way to Ensign Donald Tanner to take over her position as she headed for the Captain's ready room just off to the side of the Bridge. Taking a moment to steel herself as she always does, she pressed the chime.

"Come in," Archer's voice carried through the door just seconds before the door slide open.

"You wanted to see me sir?" Hoshi asked, her eyes taking in the other senior bridge crew quickly. "_Must be serious for the heads to be in a pow-wow."_

"Yes," motioning to the seat next to Lt. Reed. "Give me a quick report on your visit to the surface," he ordered pleasantly.

Perhaps had he been a little sterner, a little more captain-like, Hoshi might not have been as nervous. But there was something about his casualness that put the already slightly jumpy ensign on alert. "Well…um… I visited what appeared to a market place at noon hour; there were several hundred people in attendance. I spent about four hours listening before I attempted to make contact with any of the locals. I had a few casual conversations and I bought some organic materials for Dr. Phlox..." She paused and frowned. "Is that what this is about, sir? The materials I got for the doctor?" her eyes flew to T'Pol, who had examined the purchases upon her return. "I didn't know they weren't …"

"No, no," Archer raised a hand to calm her. "Relax, Ensign. You didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted a first account report of your visit."

"Was my written report not sufficient, captain?" Hoshi asked, more than just little nervous now. It won't be the first time she's been called in here to be reprimanded for insufficient reports, even when there was nothing to report. Of late, the Captain's impatience with the lack of progress manifests itself through reminding his officers about their written reports. Being the ship's live translator and the communications officer, she was one of the few people that were required to file her progress every two days; which equate to Hoshi getting the blunt of the blows more often than not.

Those late-night ice cream and sympathy sessions with Liz Cutler was putting back the much needed weight she had lost in the grueling months since they've entered the Delphic Expanse. Of course, she was losing the pounds faster than she was putting them on, making her look gaunt and aged.

"The reports were perfectly fine, Hoshi," Jonathan Archer's brow rose at her wide, apprehensive-boarding-alarm expression. The girl looked like a scared child expecting a bully to jump out at her. And apparently, _he_ was the bully. "_Oh boy, I've really done it this time."_ With a sigh, he leaned forward on his desk, which only served to show him the white-knuckles Hoshi had folded in her lap. He's been overworking her again… hell, he's been overworking everyone of late. "I just wanted to talk to you. Get a feel about what you learn down there. Not everything is conveyed through paperwork and reports."

A tiny line appeared between Hoshi's brows as she turned and looked at Commander Tucker, who nodded encouragingly; Lt. Reed, who tilted his head in a sort-of shrugged agreement; and then at Sub-Commander T'Pol, who stared back expressionlessly… as usual. Strangely enough, T'Pol's non-encouragement steadied her. Since no one looked ready to jump down her throat Hoshi nodded her head slowly and took a swallow, not even realizing that her mouth had gone bone dry. "Okay," her mind replaying her away mission not two days before. "Um… I met an officer, a militia officer name Fe'Lui that was on break. He had probably one too many of the Rukia – that's the Jukinarian's version of whiskey – when he started to talk about something going on with one of the provinces."

Rubbing her forehead, she tried to recall every vivid detail of the rather slurred conversation. Of course at the time, she had also been trying to keep the man's hand/tentacles from her thigh. She found that little game to be rather distracting but endured it to keep the man talking. "He kept talking about an extra amount of activities that was causing what he called the…" she closed her eyes and carefully translated the words, "'Great Shakes,' which I took to mean earthquakes. It was a quiet town so the movements of off-worlders were watched carefully. Lots of 'Scale-Skins' were around."

"Reptilians," Trip all but growled the word.

Glancing at him, Hoshi felt a prickle of apprehension at his feverish gaze. It was all too obvious to anyone on board that the chief engineer had more than just the mission in mind as they hunt for Xindis. "It's all in my report, sir," feeling the need to be formal in her address; the barrier of rank helps sometime to keep her nerves steady.

Trip was brought up short by her wide-eye stare. He offered her a smile, one that was filled with pride and gratitude. "You've done good Hoshi-girl." It tormented him that he wasn't as proficient at intelligence gathering as the rest of the staff seemed to be. This would be the second time Hoshi's come through for them. _"First that god-awful experience with Tarquin and now this."_ Contrary to Hoshi's belief, more than one crewmen had seen what she suffered through for this particular assignment. _"Sucks to be a women at time."_

"Hoshi," Archer handed the PADD to her. "You went to the tunnel entrance and took pictures. Why?"

Feeling slightly unsettled by the way he asked the question because she didn't really have a good reason other than, "I thought it would be a good idea."

"It was," the captain nodded encouragingly, "It was an excellent idea."

Reed frowned at her though. "But you shouldn't have gone on your own, Ensign. You could have encountered enemy defenses."

"I was in local disguise, sir. No one would have questioned my being there. The outer caverns are used for the town storage."

"You could have still exposed yourself to unnecessary dangers by doing a recon. You should have reported your findings and waited for backup."

_"It was a walk in the woods,"_ she couldn't help but think to herself; yet she knew the armory officer was correct. This was a reconnaissance mission with a dozen others and she shouldn't have risk their cover by heading off on her own and possibly getting capture. Bowing her head, she was really just too tired to think of any good defense as she might have done once upon a time. "Yes, sir. I apologize for my neglect. It won't happen again."

Malcolm felt like he'd just kicked a kitten… a sweet defenseless kitten.

"Lighten up, Malcolm," Trip injected nonchalantly. "She didn't get hurt and she got some good stuff."

"Precautions have to be taken," Reed couldn't help but reply resisting the need to reassure the dejected ensign by his side.

"It won't happen again, sir," Hoshi repeated a little more firmly this time.

"Enough," Archer ordered. "Mr. Reed, Ensign Sato took initiative and verified her information, that's fine with me." He turned the thought over in his head a little more. "Ensign, you will from now on be more cautious and curb your enthusiasm a little for sake of security. While you did well in this instance, there was a chance that this could have not gone so well and I cannot risk having our mission compromised. Lt. Reed is correct in his assessment, take more precautions. Is that clear?"

There was a long silence. "Yes, sir."

Archer could just make out the hurt in her voice. He truly wished he could make her understand his position here but time is not a luxury that they have. And he was her captain, not her den mother. "Tell me about this cavern the Xindis are using."

The bitter taste in her mouth forced her to swallow before she could speak. "The way Fe'Lui describes it: it's more underground city than caverns. Most of the tunnels are natural formations but some were created to facilitate storage and hiding areas."

"Hiding?"

"The planet, all of the continents, is plagued to seismic activities; most of them are caused by the volcanoes," she didn't add that she found this after an hour of quiet time in the home of the living library where she had a short but informative conversation with a women that reminded her a little too much of her mother. "All the major towns, and even the smaller ones, have evacuation places where they can hide during eruptions that regularly destroy their establishments."

"Well, that would explain the lousy work they do on their housing," Trip muttered. "No point in building something that's going to stick around if Mother Nature's gonna knock it over in a year or two."

"Right, in fact, the smaller towns have some permanent housing in their underground facilities. But even those get destroyed sometimes during larger quakes."

Reed scowled at her. "And you discovered all this by speaking with this officer?" He had to wonder how long that conversation had been.

"No," shaking her head. "Most of the geological information came from their living library."

"Living Library?" Trip asked, confused now.

"That's what the locals call her."

Archer frowned for a moment before understanding came. "The historian you were talking about in your report."

"Yes."

"Oh," Reed and Tucker nodded as they finally caught up.

"Perhaps it would be more constructive were Mr. Reed and Cdr. Tucker to read Ensign Sato's report before we continue," T'Pol suggested in her quiet logical manner.

Trip made a face at her. "I kind of like these oral reports. Easier on the eyes."

"But hardly efficient," T'Pol replied calmly.

"Captain," Ensign Sato handed the PADD over again. "The cavern entrance didn't tell me much, except the depth and capacity as a storage site. I do know that they have been used for long term housing during a more dangerous time in the Jukinarian history."

"And this thing about a power source…"

"There is something equivalent to a massive nuclear power plant down there. It's what powers the city. And there is also an energy storage unit down there for when they need to shut down their energy generator, it can hold enough energy to support the entire city for four Jukinarian months; and this is with everyone underground." She had been much impressed by that information.

"An energy storage unit?" Reed's face went even paler than his usual pallor. "No wonder the Xindi is using this location."

"And how long is a Jukinarian month?" Archer asked quietly as he absorbed all this, which didn't quite have as much impact in writing as it does when delivered with a calmly efficient voice.

Closing her eyes, "Forty-three earth days with twenty-six hours in each day," she replied after a long pause as she made the calculations in her head.

"That's a lot of juice," Trip murmured half in fear and half in awe. "And here I thought this was just a nice little trade post."

"Okay people," Archer regarded them with steely eyes. "I want a plan."

To be continued….

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser from Next Chapter: "Are you children through gossiping?" Major Hayes asked dryly as he gazed at his people with a frown that spoke volumes.


	2. Tense Crew

**Between A Rock and…**** Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground for Xindis.

**Chapter Summary: **The MACOs make a couple of observations and Archer finally see what his behavior is doing to his crew.****

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Okay, chapter two isn't without its faults. Some of the character may be a little out of character simply because I needed them to do certain things that didn't always match up with what we see on the scene. If there are any complaints… well, I'll apologize now.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Two – Tense Crew **

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"I heard you got call in for a 'talk,'" Liz Cutler said as she slid up beside her tired friend. Seeing Hoshi's pale face and grime set lips, she lost all her jovial countenance. "Whoa girl, what happened?"

Pouring hot water into her cup, she dropped in her tea bag and placed it on her tray. "Let's sit down first."

Gathering jell-o and chocolate mousse and an extra helping for cake, she had a feeling it was going to be needed; Liz followed the communications officer to a quiet corner toward the back of the mess hall. The very fact that Hoshi chose such a secluded table when she usually like to sit in the middle of the room so she can people-watch was a clear indication that the day had been particularly hellish. Setting her tray down, she took a sip of the aromatically wonderful coffee before getting down to business. "Okay, who picked on you this time?"

"No one picked on me; I screwed up," was Hoshi's response as she played with the pasta on her plate. She wasn't particularly hungry but knew that she had to eat. Or at least pretend to eat so Travis and his big mouth don't rat her out to the doctor again. One lecture on nutrition and the proper maintenance of her energy level was enough for one lifetime. "You know those pictures of the caverns we took?"

"Yeah," Liz prompted.

"I just got reamed out for not taking proper security measures before doing it."

Liz closed her eyes and groaned. "Did you tell them it was my idea?"

"No, I kept you out of it," Hoshi replied with a sigh. "Why should both of us suffer?"

"Thanks, Hosh, I owe you." She would have enjoyed going up in front of Captain Archer.

"Forget it," she picked at her food some more, hardly taking a bite. "Besides, at the rate I'm going, one more black mark on my record isn't going to make much of a difference."

"Stop that," Liz reprimanded sharply before pushing her cake toward Hoshi. "You are the best linguist on this ship and don't you dare forget it. So what if Lt. Reed is a sticker for the regs," she had no doubt that it was Reed that pointed out the breach in protocols; she doubted that the captain care as long it progressed the mission. "The bottom line is that you got the job _done_. So we bend the rules a little here and there, if it gets us a little closer to those bastards, what of it? You really think they're going to court martial us for doing our job, which is to get the Xindis before they get to us? I don't think so."

"Liz," she argued, "If we start bending the little rules, who's to say we don't start bending the big ones. And then what would that make us?"

"The winner," Liz retorted with a grime look. "The survivor. All is fair in love and war. And this, my dear innocent Hoshi, is most assuredly war."

Hoshi looked decisively uncomfortable as she considered that.

-&-&-&-

"_Wow_ does she look miserable," Sergeant Coates murmured as she sat her tray down and took a sip of coffee; the only thing that was keeping her going.

"Who?"

"Ensign Sato," nodding her head toward the corner of the room as she took another sip of coffee. The last three hours had been spent reviewing regulations on combat training; she'd rather be doing hand to hand with Major Hayes than paperwork, and those sessions usually resulted in days of bruising, the major didn't go easy on anyone for any reason. "Who rained on her parade today?"

"Probably the captain," Corporal Chang interjected as he glanced up. "I heard from Lt. Mindez that the ensign got called into a pow-wow with the top brass this morning. She didn't look too great when she came out."

"Ensign Roberts says that he heard the Captain yelling at her last week," Private Sanchez remarked around a mouth full of mash potatoes. The food on _Enterprise_ was vastly superior to anything he's gotten in his other assignments. "And it wasn't the first time."

"She's been getting a lot of heat lately," Sergeant Coates observed sympathetically. "I overheard Ensign Cutler telling Lt. Linube that the captain's been taking a lot of his frustrations out on her because the translations of the Xindi stuff aren't going fast enough."

"Can't be easy being the only one on board that can read Xindi," Chang said with a shake of his head as he watched the young ensign talk quietly with her friend. "And then get your head chewed off for it." There was been more than one discussion on Ensign Sato's talents among the MACOs she had attempted to befriend. It was a unanimous agreement that Ensign Hoshi Sato was one 'cool chick.'

"That just sucks," Coates chewed thoughtfully on her steak.

"Are you children through gossiping?" Major Hayes asked dryly as he gazed at his people with a frown that spoke volumes.

"You're not even a little curious, sir?" Coates have the benefit of having served under Major Hayes for longer than anyone else; she didn't feel quite as nervous about conversing with the quietly stern and almost unapproachable commanding officer. "I mean, you've worked with the Fleeters more closely then the rest of us. You don't find it kind of weird that of _all_ the people on this ship, the captain picks Ensign Sato to harass just because we aren't progressing as fast as he'd like? I mean, anyone can see she works probably three times harder than the rest of the crew does cause she's the only that gets all this Xindi…

"I don't speculate as to what my superiors do, Sergeant," Hayes replied firmly, "And neither should you," putting an end to the conversation.

Privately Matt Hayes agreed with his subordinates; Ensign Sato has been bearing the brunt of a lot of stress stemming from the fact that they were running out of time and the captain knew it. Without meaning to, Major Hayes eyes wondered to study Ensign Sato as she sat dejectedly in the corner. On more than one occasion he's seen the young communications officer in the gym, her eyes glued to her PADD as she paddled away on a bike, working her own frustrations out physically; her friendly face so taunt with concerns that she appeared to have aged ten years since the MACOs first met her only months before. He had been tempted, several times in fact, to go to her and offer help; it seemed like a friendly thing to do and she _had_ made the first welcome to them when the rest of the ship practically ignored their existence. But he couldn't ever bring himself to approach her.

Hoshi Sato had about as much in common with Major Hayes, or any of the MACOs for that matter, as water had with fire. She was academia, Star Fleet and delicately soft; exactly the fragile-flower type to bring out all the ancient protective instincts in a man. He was a solider, military by choice and tradition, and had more muscles then body fat (a feat none of his subordinate has yet to figure out considering how he eats); he guarded _Enterprise_ and everyone in it, including her. Her job was to talk. His job was to fight. Her job was to find a solution. His job was to make the solution happen. She was a voice: soothing and calm. He was silence: nothing but arms, legs and a good pulse rifle. She finesses; he punches. She laughs; he scowls. She was silk and lace. He was leather and… okay, that wasn't the best analogy to be going for.

"Major?" Sergeant Coates asked breaking into her CO's thoughts, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she peeked slyly at the ensign. "See something you like, sir?"

If looks could kill…

"Major Hayes," the sound of the captain's voice broke through the unusually jolly mood of the MACOs as they all scrambled to their feet in attention. Amused, Captain Archer saluted them in a formal fashion. "At ease, men… ur… soldiers." Sergeant Coates gave him a cheeky grin, which he returned. "I need a moment Major, please join me in the conference room at fifteen hundred."

"Yes, sir," was the reply since nothing else would have done.

"And bring your strategy book," the captain advised with a grime smile as he patted the man on his shoulder and walked away.

There was a pause before the MACOs sat down again, all watching Captain Archer as he made his way across the mess hall to talk to Cdr. Tucker and Lt. Reed, pausing to study Ensign Sato for a moment. He frowned, noting her drooped shoulders and unhappy face and the fact that she was pushing food, including her favorite dessert, around on her plate but hardly taking a bite. Liz Cutler was urgently talking to her, their whispered conversation inaudible to the rest of the room but was obvious of a vital nature. For a moment, the captain appeared to want to approach but stopped himself. Shaking his head, he continued toward his chief engineer and armory officer.

"What was that?" Private Sanchez asked in confusion.

Corporal Chang frowned and watched the captain for another moment before turning to his companion. "Which part? The part where he invited the major to a sit-down or the part where he looked like he was _actually_ sorry for the way he's been treating the ensign?"

"You got a crush, Dave?" Sergeant Coates teased.

"Why not?" Chang responded cheerfully, watching his CO, who was expressionless. "She's awfully cute."

"Don't go there," Sanchez advised going back to his dinner (he pretty much always thought of his stomach first) and missing the subtle glances between his teammates. "Reed would skin you alive. You know how protective he is of all Fleeters; death to all those that crouch upon his territory."

"You saying Reed and Sato…"

"No, I meant Fleeters in general, not just Sato. I'm just saying that Reed's got enough reasons not to like us," he glanced at his CO, offering a grin as he remembered a certain fight that made its way around the ship and the reason behind it, "Don't give him another one."

"Don't give _anyone_ a reason to kick your ass, Corporal," Hayes warned unexpectedly blunt as he got up to prepare for the meeting. Chang was too charming for his own good sometimes and he was going to make sure it doesn't cause any harm. "You've been given notice," and gave him a stern look before leaving.

Coates was wise enough to wait until the major was out of ear shot before commenting, "Looks like Lt. Reed isn't the only one feeling protective."

-&-&-&-

"I've asked Major Hayes to join us as you've suggested," Archer said as he sat down with a sigh. It's been a while since he sat in the mess with the rest of the crew and he just remembered why. He felt like an elephant in the middle of a china shop, every step had to be watched.

"Thanks Captain," Reed murmured without looking up.

"Whoa, when did you and the major get all buddy on us?" Trip laughed, pushing his coffee toward the tired looking captain. He would eat his shoes if Archer was getting more than four or five hours a night; it was beginning to show.

"We need fresh eyes," Reed explained with a sigh. _"Plus the man might actually know a thing or two."_

"MACOs are trained for ground combat; we're not. Let's use them where we need them the most. I want to utilize every means at our disposal if it can get this finished faster," Archer rubbed his face and glanced over his shoulder, noting that several crewmen were still watching him. _"I feel like I'm under a microscope here."_ He made a face and turned to Trip, "Is it always like this?"

"Like what?" chewing on limp vegetables that he had no desire to eat but knew was necessary. _"What I won't give for a good fruit salad with fresh __Georgia__ peaches." _

"The staring," and then caught sight of Hoshi again. She was still pushing food around her plate. It didn't take a medical doctor or a scale to see that the ensign has lost a considerable amount of weight. Plus the look she had given him earlier today still haunted him.

"It's only 'cause you're here," Trip pointed out and continued his meal. "You've eaten yet?"

"Yeah, I grabbed something when…" he frowned as he watched his communication officer stood, shook her head at her friend's urging motions and left without having tasted her meal.

"Captain?" Lt. Reed inquired with a quick glance at the shrugging Commander. "Is something the matter?"

"Have I been too harsh lately?" Jon wanted to know, his eyes reflecting that of a friend asking for an opinion rather than a captain asking for an evaluation. Something about the way Hoshi had been looking at him, and the way some of the MACOs have been looking at him earlier, it made him extremely nervous. "I mean, have I been a complete ogre?"

Trip's fork paused halfway to his mouth as he stalled for time. "Well…um… you're been under…um… you've been under an awful lot of stress lately," he managed diplomatically.

Jonathan frowned. _"That wasn't an answer at all." _

"We've all have," Reed interjected hastily when the captain continued to stare at them. "It's only natural that tempers become rather short and…"

"I've been a monster, haven't I?" Archer asked, his eyes searching his best friend's. He knew that when push came to shove, Reed will be diplomatic in every way, especially to a superior officer. But Trip… that was a whole other story. "Trip?" warning his friend that he wasn't going to take little white lies well this time.

Commander Tucker swallowed the suddenly dry food and gave Archer a resentful look for putting him on the spot. "You have been kind of unreasonably angry at everything and everyone, 'specially Hoshi when she gives you reports of her progress. You ain't exactly happy that the translations from those Xindi probes are going so slow."

"How bad have I been?" a sick feeling forming at the pit of his stomach.

The two officers traded quick looks before looking away, neither one willing to answer the question.

"How bad, boys?" he insisted in that captain-voice of his.

Reed looked at Tucker.

Tucker looked at Reed.

They nodded in reluctant agreement before responding, "Bad."

Archer's forehead hit the table with a soft thump, sending several crewmen to their feet in a mad rush to check on the captain. He stayed there, in that exact same ridiculous position while Reed and Tucker played interference and sent the rest of the anxious crew away. It took nearly five minutes to settle into some semblance of order once more as the captain stayed there, head on the table thinking of all kinds of bad things about himself.

Trip patted Jon on the back, thinking of ways to offer sympathy but couldn't find any. He had on more than one occasion seen Ensign Sato leave the captain's ready room close to tears. Several of his own engineers dread giving reports to the captain in fear that he should find fault in their often hurried work. Jon Archer, the most easygoing man he's ever known, has reduced more than one crewman to tears with an unconscious censure that was lost to him but cut to the bone. "If it makes a difference, they know that you've been under a hell lot of pressure too."

"That doesn't excuse my abominable behavior," Archer murmured as he sat up and rested his chin in his palm and sighed. A crew is supposed to be able to trust their captain, trust him to be fair and reasonable, not a tyrant. "Next time you think I'm even close to crossing the line of acceptable behavior, I don't care in front of whom it is, you kick me. Got it?"

"Captain," Reed's face reflect amusement and mortification at even such a thought.

"Don't play the good officer with me, Mr. Reed," the captain said with a much disgruntled glare at his support staff. "If you and Trip hadn't been so 'diplomatic,' the rest of the crew wouldn't be thinking I'm so sort of bad-tempered despot."

"Oh so now it's our fault?" Trip ask, mockingly offended.

"Yes."

Reed's twitched as he continued his meal. "Has the Sub-Commander been informed of the meeting?"

"Yeah," the captain answered tiredly as he stole more coffee from Trip. "She's playing devil's advocate at the moment."

"Against us, huh?"

"I'm not exactly too keen on the idea of sending my crew into a subterranean city with Xindis running amuck either," Archer muttered with a frown, concerned that he's already voicing a plan of action without any discussion with his people.

"What? You ain't going to insist on being the one t' lead this away mission?" Trip grinned mischievously. Though he said it rather lightheartedly, he knew that this is a much debated point between Archer and Reed; Reed can't rationalize allowing his captain to risk his life and Archer can't allow himself to risk his people's lives.

"Not unless I want to get an earful from T'Pol about the backlog of Sphere research that she's done," he said sheepishly, "And there is also a stack of translations that Hoshi's been doing that I haven't really gotten around to."

Chuckling, Tucker looked up from his potatoes, "In other words, Phlox still won't clear you for off-ship duty cause everyone's still afraid you're go all maternal on little Insectoids we might run into."

Glaring at his best friend for making light of his most recent Xindi problems while Reed attempted and failed to suppress his laughter, Archer got up and gave Trip's shoulder a squeeze had left the chief engineer's right arm numb, "I'll see you gentlemen at the meeting. Don't be late."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser from Next Chapter: "This isn't trivial," he snapped, snatching the PADD away with more force than necessary. T'Pol gave him a censuring look that made Jon feel like a six year old with his hand in the cookie jar. Taking a deep breath, he made a show of calming down. "Change the away mission rooster," he ordered. "I need to have a little talk with my crew."


	3. Assignments

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just drop me a line and this story is gone. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **The away team is assembled; Archer gets to the bottom of Hoshi's overload; and a couple of 'special' assignments are handed out.****

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Okay people I hear you, I need a beta. Too bad I can't find anyone that is willing to oblige. If you know anyone, do let me know.

I'm trying desperately not to do any pairings… but let's face it, one of elements about fan fiction is that you get to manipulate the shows and characters in a manner that suits you… and other fellow shippers. I'm not exactly sure where I want to go as far as couples goes, but I hope not to offend anyone when I do end up deciding.

Also, it always bothered me that the away teams were so small. I'm almost sure I read somewhere that even small combat units travel in sixes. For the away team to be constantly consisting of two or three members, usually at least two are senior staff members, just never jived too well with me. (Okay, I know they have budgets and extras and airtime for actors to watch out for, it makes sense from that perspective.) And so since this is my story, I'm going to make the away team bigger. So no grousing over that little part, okay?

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Three – Assignments **

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Major Hayes made his way back to the training deck, his mind too full of details to pay much else attention. Powerful legs carried him forward in long strides that had everyone else make way. He took it for granted that things came to him at ease; for in reality, no one dared to stand in his path when he appeared _that_ purposeful. There was something formidable about the man that had nothing to do with his bulk, though that was nothing to sneeze at; but one couldn't really put their finger on until you're flat on your back and aching from head to toe.

"Attention," he called out as the door hissed shut behind him. He stood with his arms behind his back as his unit scrambled into a neat formation before him. Discipline was everything. "The captain is authorizing another away mission to the Jukinarian home-world. It's a seek-and-destroy." He watched several men perk up in attention. Most of them were eager to get going, not for the action but for a chance at payback. More than one member of his unit had suffered loss during the Xindi attack; he had not wanted to pick men that had revenge on their minds but he could find few that weren't personally affected in one way or another.

"It's a subterranean mission," he continued, "We'll be spending anywhere from three to seven days underground, ten thousand feet below sea level."

"Why the time discrepancy, sir?" a private wanted to know.

Nodding with understand, "We've only got preliminary information. It's going to be a touch-and-go mission with two engineers and a live translator. No outline plans, no maps, no backups, no communications with the ship; we'll be too far down for relies." He watched their eyes, noting one or two doubts and logged those away.

As always, he gave them a choice. "I need four volunteers."

Without hesitation, everyone member of the MACO unit took a step forward.

Hayes nodded his head, "Coates, Ramero, Sanchez and Kemper, suit up. The captain wants to see us in a half an hour in shuttle bay two."

-&-&-&-

"T'Pol," Archer called out as he entered the bridge from the lift, "Join me in my ready room," he commanded and continued on without a backward glance. He did not appear happy.

The calm Vulcan stood from the command chair and nodded to Lt. Reed before following the captain through the open doorway, portal to his private sanctuary. The door closed silently behind her.

Jon paced the suffocating room with some agitation. He often wondered how anyone was supposed to be comfortable in the captain's ready room when there's hardly any room to move. Turning, he was met with a raised brow from his second in command. "I don't like sending them down there without me."

Without any other reaction, "A good captain knows to trust his people and to delegate assignments," was the calm ever rational response.

"I don't want to trust and delegate," he snapped impatiently then stopped himself with a sigh. It was _exactly_ this kind of behavior that he wanted to curb. "I don't like sending them into something unknown."

"Everything is unknown in the Expanse." T'Pol sat down to watch the captain pace like a caged animal. "I believe this was a topic thoroughly discussed during our meeting today."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," he grumbled. Normally he would be griping to Trip, but the commander was solidly against him on this. _"Probably cause the sod is getting to go on this mission."_ The more he thought about it, the more nervous he was over the whole situation. One of his more pressing concerns hit him hard as he attempted to review some of translations being passed to him for review. "Tell me the truth, T'Pol; do you think Tanner can do the job?"

The jump in topics didn't disturb the science officer. There was a long moment of silence as T'Pol considered her own response. "No."

"No?" more than a little shocked.

Her impassive face answered him as only the sub-commander could.

"Then why the hell didn't you say something earlier?" he demanded with a huff that was most un-captain-like.

"I believe Cdr. Tucker voiced it best," T'Pol said quietly.

xxxxxxxxx

_"Sir," Reed's face screwed up with concern. "If we're flying by the seat of our pants, I think it would be best if we have the most qualified translator onsite."_

_"Ensign Tanner has more than qualified to handle whatever is thrown at you, Mr. Reed," Archer said as he handed T'Pol the list of equipment they had complied. "I want to keep Hoshi here and on those Insectoid translations." _

_"'Sides," Trip added with a grin, "You know how Hoshi gets in small spaces. 'S much as ah'd love to have Hoshi and ears of hers with us, we'd be down there for near a week; you really want to put the poor kid, not to mention _us_, through that?"_

xxxxxxxxxx

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tossed a PADD from his desk to T'Pol. "You know anything about this?"

Scanning through the data presented in front of her, T'Pol looked up to meet Archer's eyes. "I believe it is common knowledge."

"Common knowledge," he repeated more angered than surprised.

"Yes."

He grabbed hold of his temper tightly and managed just not to raise his voice though he did have to speak through cracking molars. "And why wasn't _I_ informed of this?"

If the sub-commander was offended by the accusing tone, she didn't show it. "I believe the crew felt it unnecessary to burden your attention with the more trivial aspects of crew operation."

"This isn't trivial," he snapped, snatching the PADD away with more force than necessary. T'Pol gave him a censuring look that made Jon feel like a six year old with his hand in the cookie jar. Taking a deep breath, he made a show of calming down. "Change the away mission rooster," he ordered. "I need to have a little talk with my crew."

-&-&-&-

Reed's hand competently reassembled the phase pistols without much attention. He was busy watching the rest of the MACOs gear-up for the mission. Reluctantly he had to admit that they were swift, efficient and disciplined. And while his own men were good, the MACOs were obviously well trained.

"I hate these suits," Trip griped as he zipped the polysynthetic uniform on. Build for all climate changes, the skin-tight rubber-like body suits were the best thing to go with when entering extreme cold or hot weather, the suit regulates the temperature around the body at a comfortable sixty-fix degrees. The military had developed it early twenty-third century but Star Fleet hadn't been utilizing it until the MACOs came onboard. "Why do we gotta wear these things?"

"Because our EV suits aren't suited for this mission," Reed replied softly, pulling his own combat suit on with no less discomfort if less complaining. He checked the translator unit, they may not be reliable but he would rather not be without it.

The door of the shuttle bay slide open noisy and Hayes's men… and woman, came to attention in a snap. "Captain on deck," one of them hollered sharply.

Archer shook his head and walked across the room. "At ease," and smiled when all the five combat trained officers did was shifted positions. "I won't take up much of your time. I presume that your commanding officers, be it Cdr. Tucker, Lt. Reed or Major Hayes, have briefed you on your mission. You're going in to look for the molecular de-stabilizer, you're going to get what you can as far as data goes and then blow it back to hell. Any questions?"

"No, sir," came the unison response, military style.

"Good. I'll now turn you over to…"

The door of the shuttle bay opened again, allowing in a hesitant Ensign Sato, who paused until the captain motioned her over, into the shuttle bay. She gave the rest of the assembled away team a quick look over before joining Cdr. Tucker and Lt. Jamison to the side.

"Good luck and see you when you get back," the captain concluded with a nod. Walking over, "Ensign Sato."

"You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked, taking a step forward.

"I did, yes," motioning her to one corner of the room before turning around and waving another over, "Ensign Tanner, join us."

Tanner jogged slightly to the captain, standing in attention until asked to be at ease. "Captain?"

Archer glanced over the ensign's shoulder catching Trip's eye for a moment before turning his attention to the two young officers in front of him. Lifting a PADD, "I just had a chance to review come of your work, Ensign Tanner, very good translations."

"Thank you, sir," he replied, his eyes betraying him as they shifted to Ensign Sato for a split second.

Hoshi was carefully studying the tips of her boots.

Watching his officers carefully, not missing a damn thing, ignoring that fact that the rest of the away team with the exception of Lt. Reed and Major Hayes was subtlety moving in closer hoping to eavesdrop on the conversation taking place. "Tell me something, ensigns; did you know that that computer has a record of every time this report was accessed, from its inception?"

Looking up startled, Hoshi stared wide-eyed. Tanner stared, surprised as well. "No, sir. We did not."

"Well, the fact is that it does," glad that he wasn't getting any run around. The last thing he needed right now was the headache of trying to sort out the half truths and lies. "Would one of you like to explain to me why Ensign Sato accessed this report prior to it reaching my desk?" There was a long and loaded silence where not even the MACOs pretended to complete their gear-up as Archer stared pointedly at two of his communications officers.

Clearing her throat, Ensign Sato offered the captain a tentative smile, "Well, um… sir, I… um…" she gave a helpless shrug, "Everyone knows that I'm pretty much the noisy one around here," her hands made a useless gesture as she looked everywhere but into anyone's face, "And… um… and I tend to read everything that I can…"

"Hoshi," Archer said quietly.

The use of her first name stopped her. Swallowing, "Yes, sir?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you have possibly the worse poker face in the universe?" he asked casually.

Tanner's lips quivered dangerous.

Reed turned his face to keep from grinning at Hoshi and traded agreeing looks with Major Hayes.

Tucker wasn't as nice, he snickered out loud.

Sato turned a dull red. "All the time, sir."

"Than you should listen to them," Archer advised before turning to Ensign Tanner. "Explain."

For a moment, Donald Tanner considered his opinions. He could conceivably lie to his captain and stick to the story that Hoshi had desperately been trying to concoct. Or he could tell the truth and risk getting severely reprimanded. Of course, he could always refer the explanation back to Hoshi, who will no doubt stammer and stutter until the captain gives up and send her away; which meant that Tanner would get to go on this away mission. But that also meant…

"Sir, Ensign Sato has been reviewing all my reports and translations before they are submitted to you."

"Has she now?" but Archer already knew that. He had gone back to review all the reports submitted by the communications team for the past four months; every damn one bore Hoshi's access code. "And why is that?"

No point in lying now. "Because my understanding of the Xindi language is less than complete, sir."

_"At least the kid is honest," _Archer thought as he stared at the young man that was obviously going to do the right thing. "So Ensign Sato has been correcting your work?"

"Mine and everyone else's, sir," needing to add that in. He waited a beat, watching for the hammer to come down when he felt a sharp elbow in his side. Looking down, he found the young Asian beauty glaring at him with such a murderous look that he felt the need to take a step away from her.

"Sir," Hoshi begin, still fuming, "I can explain."

"In a minute," Archer said holding up a hand to stop her. "Tanner, how much of this is your work?" holding the PADD in his hand. "And how much is Ensign Sato's?"

Mulling over it for a moment, "Best estimate would be 70-30, sir."

"Seventy yours?" a little incredulous.

"Yes sir," with no shame.

"Why?" the captain demanded, his voice raising just a notch higher.

Tanner didn't flinch. "I'm having a difficult time with the Insectoid dialects, sir. Each dialect has a unique style in their written form, each form is..."

"And Ensign Sato does this for all the communications officers?"

Nodding his head, Tanner replied, "Yes sir," feeling not the least bit traitorous for spilling the long kept open-secret. Credit should go where credit is due. "The rest of the communication team do what we can with the Xindi languages. Ruttler and I can't keep the Insectoid dialects straight, Cross still gets Reptilian and Insectoid mixed up, and Anderson can't keep his Aquatic and Primate right."

"So basically for every assignment I give, I double Ensign Sato's workload 'cause she's got to watch over yours as well."

"Well, it's more like five times the workload because most times Ensign Sato has to review some of the more difficult passages that…oof…" Tanner lost his breath when Hoshi's elbow connected with his lower ribs with a lot more force than the first time.

"Hoshi!" Archer's voice was sharp and unyielding as he turned his eyes on her.

Watching the captain with wide eyes, Hoshi had a feeling her day was just about to become worse. "Sorry, sir."

Ignoring the little childish byplay that just happened, Archer exploded with: "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were getting overloaded?"

Startled by the sudden explosion, Hoshi took a quick step back.

"Cap'n," Trip's hand clamped itself firmly around Jon's upper arm, prepared to physically pull the man back if necessary. Leaning close, "Easy does it, you're scaring the hell outta her."

Letting out an angry breath, Archer turned away and paced a small space around the shuttle bay for a moment, considering all the times he's had to reply on Hoshi for… every damn word out of his mouth. Hell, he must have literally been working her to the bones from the looks of her. He knew he was loading her plate with more than the others had for the simple fact that she was the best there was; he knew that, depended on that. And of course, he had been a little disappointed when her work progress was so slow… _"Well hell, now I know why."_

Turning back to Tanner, "You were down on the planet earlier right?" There had only been two away teams for three hours each send down to blend in.

"Yes, sir."

"How much of the Jukinarian language did you pick up?"

"Which dialect, sir?"

"How many are there?"

"Twenty-eight," came the hesitant answer as Tanner glance at Hoshi, who returned his gaze with a subtle shake of her head. Donald blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry sir, it's thirty-four."

Reed frowned, not liking the little misspoke. "Well, which is it? Thirty-four or twenty-eight?"

Hayes nudged his men back to their task at hand but found himself unable to stop listening in on the discussion taking place. It was really the first time he's had a chance to see Archer in this manner… well, except when the captain reamed him out for fighting with Reed, and even then the man had been in complete control… kind of.

"Thirty-four, sir."

"Then why'd ya say twenty-eight first time around?" Trip asked, his hand loosening on the captain's arm. He wasn't watching Tanner, he was watching the way Ensign Sato was shifting her feet. _"Girl, could you look any _more_ guilty right now?"_

"_I_ had learned twenty-eight," Tanner replied.

Reed closed his eyes for a moment. "Need we hazard a guess as to _who_ has the last six?"

Hoshi squirmed uncomfortably feeling the need to run.

Archer looked up at the steely gray of the bulkhead and prayed for patience. "And what would you rate your efficiency of those twenty-eight dialects, Ensign?"

Ensign Tanner frowned for a moment. "Eighty percent, sir."

"With or without the UT?"

Tanner made a face. "The UT is having some difficulties adjusting itself to this new language sir. We're looking at a hit-and-miss forty-five percent of the time."

Commander Tucker voice what they were all thinking. "Forty-five percent?"

Archer closed his eyes half in despair and half in pain. "Those aren't exactly numbers I wanted to hear, Ensign."

"Not a choice, sir."

He nodded with some understanding. There have been complaints from even Trip on the inefficiency of the Universal Translator for some time now. It would appear the amount of work Archer's ordered on the Xindi materials have overloaded some of the computer's functions. "And what would you rate Ensign Sato would be of those thirty-four?"

Tanner glanced at Hoshi for a moment before answering with a shrug, "Can't say sir. I've only heard her use about fifteen of them so far."

"And of those fifteen?"

An honest answer seemed to be the best ones so far, "I would say ninety, ninety-five percent sir."

"Hoshi…"

"I don't know, sir," came her hurried answer. "I don't usually rate myself."

"But if you had to," he insisted.

"I couldn't even begin to say, sir," Hoshi replied almost desperately.

Nodding his head, Archer turned to Reed and Tucker. "Change in the rooster on your away team. Ensign Sato will replace Ensign Tanner as your live translator. Adjust yourselves accordingly."

"Yes sir."

"Tanner," he glared at the young ensign. Get your Insectoids dialects straight."

"Yes sir."

It took Hoshi a few more moment to pick her jaw off the ground as she scrambled after the retreating figure of the captain. "Sir, I…"

"Hoshi," he pinned her with eyes that were sharp with purpose. She came to a staggering halt. "I'm sending ten people down into the unknown; I cannot let them go in there completely blind. You're our best bet right now," he watched her eyes turned from panic to concern to understanding. "Get suited-up. You leave in half an hour. Commander Tucker will brief you on your way down."

Swallowing the large lump in her throat, Hoshi tried to ignore the growing ball of nerves in the pit of her stomach. _"You have a job to do." _She nodded her head firmly. "Yes, sir."

For a moment, Archer had to resist the urge to comfort her obvious distress but before he could, she turned away. He watched her for a moment, feeling a discomfort he knew he really couldn't afford to be feeling. "Tucker, Reed, Hayes, my ready room in ten minutes. I want a word with you three before you go."

"Yes sir."

Hoshi was collecting her gear when Tanner came up behind her. "Hey, sorry about that."

She closed her eyes for a moment, releasing a sigh, and forced herself to think logically and reasonably. "Forget it, you didn't really have too much of a choice."

Tanner grinned, "At least no more Xindi for a while. Think of this away mission as a nice vacation for you."

Whirling around, she gapped at him for a minute before hitting him as hard as she could manage with an armful of equipment, dropping half as her closed fist connected with his arm. "I'm claustrophobic, you idiot. This is going to be a nightmare!" she shouted angrily before picking up her stuff and stomping out.

"Ouch," Tanner murmured as he rubbed his arm and watched her back for a moment. "Oh, I can see this is going to be a fun mission."

-&-&-&-

"I've got a special assignment for you gentlemen," Archer said grimly as he slide behind his desk and faced the three officers standing.

"What's up, Cap'n?" Trip asked in his affable manner, the only one that even remotely comfortable standing there in the captain's ready room.

"Well, it's more of a favor that an assignment really," Archer amended with an agitated movement. "It's Hoshi." The three officers just stood there patiently waiting for the captain to continue. "She's going to need a little extra help on this mission," and damn well wished he hadn't quite phrase it in that manner. The last thing he wanted to do was cast doubt upon her abilities.

A grin curled Cdr. Tucker's lips. "You mean to keep from going hysterical being trapped underground and all."

Rolling his eyes, "Sit down, boys," motioning to the chairs. Reed and Hayes hesitated a second before sitting. Trip practically sprawled in his chair, so use to these kinds of moments with the captain.

"Trip, I need you to keep Hoshi calm. We know about the claustrophobia, we know how she reacts to enclosed spaces. She's not bad with it but there are moments. You're her friend; give her a little reassurance when she needs it," there was enough concern in Archer's voice to make an impression.

Trip nodded in understanding.

"Malcolm," pausing as the lieutenant tuned in on the captain. "Hoshi response well to command, it keeps her mind from wondering to other things. I need you to keep her focused; you're going to have to be the bad guy here: the task master."

"Understood, sir," was Reed's calm response to the unusual request.

"Major Hayes," Archer paused, a frown appearing between his brows. It wasn't his first private meeting with the MACO but it sure the hell felt like it. "May I call Matt?"

"Of course, sir," was the formal response.

Jon found some amusement in that. "You know, Matt, you don't have to be so formal. This isn't an official meeting."

"Understood, sir," was the auto response

Trip laughed.

Archer shook his head. "Major," deciding that if he can't get the man to relax then he will simply have to deal with him in a professional manner, "I know it's your job to protect Hoshi and the rest of the away team. But I want _you_ to bring Hoshi back."

Confused marked Hayes face. "Excuse me, sir?"

"I'm sure you were there for my… 'discussion' with Ensign Tanner."

Hayes schooled his features carefully to reveal nothing as he nodded.

Archer wasn't fooled. "And I'm sure you heard every word that was spoken… or shouted."

Trip snickered and even Malcolm had to duck his head slightly. Only a slight twinkling of the eyes betrayed Matt as he nodded again.

Jon won't have blamed him if he laughed. "Then you're well aware that Hoshi is apparently my _only_ Xindi speaker right now," the calm nod brought home that Jonathan Archer has been disconnected from his crew too long. Apparently, even the MACOs knew about Hoshi's overloaded plate. "Nobody does language the way she does and I… we… this ship _cannot_ lose her." That statement seemed to sober all three men. "Win, lose or draw, Hoshi comes home."

"Understood, sir."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser line for next chapter: "Hoshi," Trip said again, bringing her wondering gaze to him with a touch at her elbow. "Did Dr. Phlox by any chance give you anything? You know, to help you with your claustrophobia?"


	4. Unexpected Help

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **Hoshi makes a MACO friend. Away team meets the local and Hoshi gets some unusual help.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Okay, it never fails to puzzle me that all of a sudden, the aliens can speak in perfect English! In Season one's first two episodes, Hoshi had to be along to translate Klingon… then later in the season and in season 2, the Klingons suddenly can speak English? Or that Archer can understand them? I didn't buy it, hated it in fact and thought that ought to be a reasonably logical explanation of this that I just didn't know about. So I'm interjecting a verbal translator here, like the ones they use during United Nation's Conferences. Where everyone wears an ear piece that is connected to someone on the other side translating at real time. Only here, we have the nice UT to do the translating. If it's not believable, I apologize now and you can save the skewing of my works in the review section okay? And if someone knows exactly who that works out, let me know so I can make the corrections in this story. Thanks.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Four - Unexpected Help**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Need some help, Ensign?"

Hoshi turned around and smiled at a female MACO that had entered the women's locker room. "Thanks I would appropriate it," turning around with a sigh of relief. She had about dislocated her arm trying to get her uniform on. "Sergeant Coates, right?"

"Katie," Coates corrected with a grin, putting down the survival pack Lt. Reed had asked her to bring to the ensign, who seemed to be taking her sweet time getting dressed. "If we're spending the next couple of days together as the only ladies on this mission, I would appreciate it if you call me Katie."

"Then Katie it is; call me Hoshi. Hey, is Katie short for Katherine? Kathleen? Kate?" Hoshi inquired mildly as she flipped her hair to the side.

"Kaitlyn with a K, if you can believe it? What were my parents thinking?" rolling her eyes. She reached over and zipped up the Star Fleet combat suit for the ensign. Unlike her own brown and charcoal gray uniform, colors she has now learned to despise, Star Fleet chose to go with the usual stellar blue.

"It's a pretty name," Hoshi smiled as she turned around to put on the rest of her uniform, which included shoes that doubled as gravity boots if necessary and several other 'necessities.' "Tell me something, why did they decide to put the zipper on the _back_ for the women's uniforms?"

"You know what? I keep asking but so far no one's given me a straight answer," Coates replied handing Hoshi her phase pistol, which the ensign pulled open to check the energy cartridge. "Personally, I think whoever designed these damn things was a man that wanted to see these thing slick up our chests," her hand traveling up the length of her torso.

"Won't surprise me one bit," chuckled Hoshi as buckled extra energy cells for her UT to her leg and belted the holder for her UT. "Have you seen T'Pol's Vulcan uniform?"

"You mean that cat-suit isn't by choice?" mockingly shocked.

Shrugging as she put the armband on what would house her UT mouthpiece. "It may be since she's not with the Vulcan High Council now. But I've seen some of the other uniforms on Vulcan females, they're all similarly bad."

"I always thought Vulcans were kind of… you know, asexual."

"Emotionless," Hoshi corrected.

"Yeah, that too."

Grinning, "Oh, they are; _most _of the time. But they're not really. They're pretty scary when they lose that oh-so-perfect control. Just ask Dr. Phlox and Lt. Reed."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah," feeling calmer talking about nonsense as her hands went through the motions. "Think teenage boys on hormone injections."

"Ouch," she shuddered. "So you think Vulcan men design their uniform too?"

"How would _you_ explain that one-piece she struts around in?"

"T'Pol exercising her womanly wiles?"

A burst of giggles erupted from Hoshi's lips. It lightened her face considerably, making her the young ensign once more.

Coates smiled, watching the ensign for a moment. "You okay?"

Looking over at the genuine concern in the MACO's eyes, Hoshi felt surprisingly calmer. "Well, I can't say that I'm too thrilled with this assignment but Donnie's right, it gives me a few days away from all that Xindi stuff." She ran a hand through her hair, picking it all up to tie into a ponytail. "I'm about ready to tear my hair out with all the Insectoid that I've been reading."

Katie felt sympathy for the obviously tired young woman. The last thing Ensign Sato needs now was a week's worth of crawling around in underground tunnels. "Claustrophobic, huh?"

Unable to help herself, Hoshi laughed. It was a pathetically sad laugh that left Katie feeling helpless and distressed. "Isn't it awful?"

"_How_ did you manage to survive the last two and half years?"

"The captain made a lot of concessions for me," was the reply made with a grin that was associated with fond memories.

"I would say the captain was pretty desperate to keep you," Coates observed oh-so-casually.

"Lot of good it did him," Hoshi made a face leaned over to pull a storage container from under one of the units along the wall. Why they had to put all the materials in the women's locker room was beyond her. "Come on, we better get going before Mal… Lt. Reed sends people in here looking for us." She made a face. "And don't think he won't."

"He seems like the impatient type," Katie replied with a grin, helping Hoshi carry the box as the ensign grabbed her survival pack. She didn't add the Tucker and Reed had been pacing outside the locker room for the past fifteen minutes, looking like they were afraid Ensign Sato was in the locker room alone crying. It was Coates that had volunteered to come in and check on the ensign when usually patient Major Hayes finally asked the two CO's to stop pacing since it was agitating the rest of the away team.

Hoshi laughed as she struggled to hold the pack, the box and pick up another smaller unit at the same time. They had almost made it to where the rest of the away team was waiting when Hoshi finally dropped her box with a loud clatter. "Sorry," she muttered with a red face and slightly out of breath.

"What's all this, Hoshi-girl?" Trip asked as he reached over and took her survive pack for her. She was dwarfed by all the equipment.

"Robes and cloaks, we'll have to quick modifications to them to match the local styles but that shouldn't take too long," she answered honestly. When the two commanding officers merely stared at her, "Did you really think you were going to walk through a village armed to the teeth," pointing to the various weapons the MACOs, Lt. Reed and Ensign DeMarco were carrying, "And not attract any undue attention?"

Reed and Tucker exchange quick glances. "Well, we are going under the guise of night. We thought that…"

"With all due respect, sir," Hoshi smiled sweetly at them. "You obvious haven't read my report to the captain or you'd know that the entrance to the underground tunnels is situated in the middle of a village. Even if the three moons that circle the planet were all new moons, we'd still have to get pass the entrance lighting and quake watchers." She continued to smile innocently at them as she handed out robes and cloaks.

"Wow," Tucker said more amused than offended, "She certainly showed us."

-&-&-&-

The shuttle landed with a bone-shattering jolt. There was a long silence as the ground settled underneath them and everyone held their breaths.

"Nice landing, Commander," Malcolm groused as he picked himself off the ground, rubbing his abused posterior while he was at it. Not for the first time he wished the damn shuttles had seatbelts.

"Ah didn't see the damn tree," Trip grumbled as he massaged feeling back into his elbow where he had knocked it uncommonly hard against the control console.

"You could have just run it over instead of swerving and knocking all of us on our arses."

"Couldn't do that," Trip complained defensively, "Lord knows what sentient being were up in those trees."

Malcolm rolled his eyes. "Now you sound like T'Pol."

"She's got some good points sometimes," the commander muttered as he got up. "Everyone in one piece back there?"

"Just barely," Lt. Jamison replied. The second lieutenant was along as the secondary engineer. He had been chosen due to the six months training in the Marize colonies where the mining population had been quite large. He was also currently wearing a large red mark on his cheek where he had landed when the shuttle came to a laborious stop.

The rest of the away team moaned and groaned as they attempted to rise from where they had fallen when the shuttle finally landed awkwardly in a rocky clearing that hadn't been their original destination. They had been tossed to one side, crashing into each other, when their flight had taken an unexpected dive. The jolting landing only served to toss anyone that had actually kept their seat to the ground. Fortunately but for some bruises and aches, they were none the worse for ware. And as Cdr. Tucker often said, a good landing is one which you can walk away from.

Major Hayes was finding himself in a rather awkward position at the moment. He had been hurled across the shuttle cabin and having been sitting across from Ensign Sato at that moment barely had time to react when he had literally landed on top of the small delicate woman. He was almost certain his elbow had connected with something before they had both been flung to the ground, thankfully with the ensign on top. But then she hadn't moved yet.

"Ensign?" tilting his head in an effort to see her face.

Hoshi let out a pathetic moan before her head shifted slightly to look at him from much too close a view. When her eyes crossed trying to focus, she gave another moan and turned her head again, resting her cheek against the major's shoulder.

"Are you injured, Ensign Sato?" his tone was all correctness but he was feeling anything but with a soft pretty girl on him.

"Hoshi?" Trip ducked his head to look into the cabin. On any other day, the sight of Hoshi on top of Major Hayes would be amusing and wrought with plentiful teasing but not today. "You okay there, girl?"

Taking a deep breath, Hoshi braced herself against the major's shoulders and pushed herself into an upright position before finally sitting back on her haunches and regarding the MACO with a critical look. "Tell me something, Major: what percent of your body is actually fat?"

Getting to his feet slowly, Matt reached over warily and pulled Ensign Sato to her feet without being asked to, giving her a visual check for damages. "I beg your pardon?"

"What's your body fat percentage?" she asked again, dusting herself off with light touches, ignoring the stares from the rest of the team at the out-of-the-blue question.

Glancing questioningly at Cdr. Tucker and Lt. Reed, who had finally joined them in the back, he got no help in attempting to figure out as to where the ensign was going with the question. And since answering her would be the easiest course to take, "Normally, three to four percent, ma'am."

"Three or four percent?" Sanchez muttered in disbelief. Even at the top of his games, the private could never seem to get below ten percent.

"Oh," Hoshi nodded her head slowly, "Well that certainly explains it," and a great look of understanding overcame her. It was as if the mystery of the universe was suddenly unlocked.

"Explain what, Ensign?" Reed asked with a quick frown at Hayes, who was unnecessarily doing another visual check.

"Why it felt like a side of a cliff dropped off and landed on top of me." Hoshi made a disgruntled face and traded looks with Katie, who she decided was going to be a very good traveling companion. _"Next girl's night, Kaitlyn Coates is definitely coming." _She understood things that men will never get. Such as now, Katie was giving her a most sympathetic look. Turning back at the major, "Word of advice, Major: women don't like cuddling with pieces of granite. You're got no give," poking him experimentally in the middle with two fingers. As she suspected: rock hard abs. "None whatsoever."

Tucker stuck his tongue firmly in his cheek and decided not to comment as he was so tempted to do. "I'm sure that was a compliment, Major; even if it sounds otherwise."

-&-&-&-

Her voice was smooth, soothing and reassuring. It flowed easy as she chatted lightly with a local woman that Ensign Sato had obviously met before. The two talked as they were guided toward the center of the bustling village, no one paying much attention except for the first cursory glance to see them with their historian.

As it turns out, it was a good thing Hoshi had suggested the nice little disguise of locally styled cloaks over their combat gear for the whole village was out for an annual celebration; the harvest festival. Portable lights were set up in every dark corner, illuminating the village as bright as midday. Laughing people drank, danced, talked, ate and dressed in brilliant splashes of color. In their combat fatigues, the MACOs and Star Fleeters would have stood out against the vivid shades of the villagers; with their vibrant cloaks, they merely appeared to be a group of travelers passing through.

Hoshi jovially greeted and laughed with Miran, the local living library, the one person that knew all and everything there was to know about the Jukinarians. Oral storytelling was a tradition and a necessity when written records could easily be destroyed by great quakes, and the fires and the floods that sometimes accompany the quakes.

"Which one is your husband?" Miran asked in Jukinarian, glancing over her shoulder at the group following them. If she found it strange that not one had said a word so far, she didn't let on.

"What?" Hoshi laughed and glanced over her shoulder, catching a smiling Cdr. Tucker's gaze, he nodded encouragingly to her. "None; I'm not married," replied with perfect intonation.

"That's a shame," Miran replied with a glance over her shoulders again, her eyes soft with feminine appreciation. "The tall one has beautiful shoulders."

Hoshi laughed.

Malcolm leaned slightly to his left, "Major?"

"Yes, sir?" Hayes replied in a harsh low whisper even as his eyes continued to scan the crowd from within the shadows of his hood, hiding the fact that he didn't possess the three small horns that were characteristic of the male Jukinarians. The cloak also masked the fact that he had his pulse rifle at ready.

"Is your vocal translator working any better than mine?"

Without turning his head, he replied, "No, sir," a little of the irritation he felt making its way through his procedural reply. It was in fact more than a little irritating not understanding _any_ of what was being said around him, making him nervous as hell though little of it showed on his unreadable face.

"Oh, ah don't need no translator to tell me what that look means," Tucker interjected, his chin jerking toward the tall thin woman walking with Hoshi who was continuously looking over her shoulder to gaze at the major.

"And what would that be, sir?" Ramero asked, making a quick turn to watch their six. He's been trained by the best, mainly Major Hayes, and kept his eyes out for possible threats.

"She wants the major," Coates informed him before the commander had a chance to answer. She was watching the woman a little more carefully, making sure they weren't being pulled into a trap. Women read other women better, or at least that's what they were taught. And while she trusted Ensign Sato's impeccable translations, Coates had a feeling that that younger woman was the trusting type; the ones that still believe there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. "If that woman doesn't have an itch for the major, I'll eat my rifle."

Kemper, Ramero and Sanchez snickered.

"Sergeant," Hayes said warningly.

"No joke, Major," Coates replied seriously, one hand tugging discreetly at her cloak's edge, better to cover the fact that she was wearing enough artillery to outgun the village militia. She now regretted turning down Hoshi's suggestion that she wear a robe under the cloak, pointing out that the women's cloak was thinner and designed to open in front so as to better reveal the clothes underneath. But the robe would have hindered her movements; between giving herself away and having access to her weapon, she'll take her chances with her weapon. "I know that _look_."

"Ah gotta agree with the serg. here," Trip said amiably, his grin growing obvious as the major's eyes began to reflect just a bit wary. "Better watch yourself, Major."

Hayes said nothing, his face completely devoid of any reaction to the teasing. It wasn't his job to worry about what locals; his job was the get the team in and out. But it was exasperating as hell to be goaded like this.

Coming to a stop at a fork, Hoshi and the woman turned to face each other. They chatted a moment longer, obvious fondness there before bowing to one another in a formal manner of farewell.

Miran turned to gaze at the major for a moment before turning to Hoshi, her smile just this side too sly. "Ga'o bui olo."

Hoshi chuckled lightly. "Ta'ti ga. R'hami cieu golie ma-kop."

Bowing once more, Miran left with a wistfully regretful smile.

"What was that, Hoshi?" Tucker asked, his eyes following the woman for a moment.

"Nothing sir," Hoshi shook her head with a smile and turned toward the cavern entrance. She was feeling slightly lightheaded now. The thought of going into hundreds and thousands of miles of underground caves that can run literally forever was making her stomach churn. "How are the vocal translators working?" she asked, wishing she could pull her UT out to check how much language process the computer had picked up. A little work always helped to calm her.

"You weren't kidding when you said these things were on a hit-and-miss," Jamison muttered as he fingered the small electronic piece on his collar. "I get one every forty or fifty words," he made a mental note to look into it once they were back on the ship. He's apparently been taking the translators for granted.

"That's it?" came the dismayed response. Now she _really_ wanted to pull the UT out to look. "Damn!"

"We knew it was going to be bad, Hoshi," Tucker said a little surprised by her outburst. He quickened his pace to walk next to her. "We're handling it by playing mute."

"I suppose it'll have to do for now," she pouted with a mournful look. After a few minutes, "Sir?" Hoshi said catching the commander's attention even as she continued to walk at a fairly brisk pace, blinking slightly to keep her focus; the lightheadedness was intensifying. "Would you mind terribly if the major walked next to me?"

Surprised, Tucker tilted his head and regarded her then the major then back to her, his brows raised interest. "Why?"

"Precaution, sir," was her response.

That confused Tucker for a moment. "Yah don't think _ah'd_protect you?" the commander asked a little offended by that. He may not be as good with weapons as Reed or Hayes, but was a fairly good bodyguard when he needed to be.

"It's not like that, commander," Hoshi giggled in obvious amusement; the light headedness was loosening her tongue. "It's not precaution for me, sir," she grinned mischievously as she peeked over her shoulder. "It's for the major."

Her sparkling grin was infectious even as the earlier conversation came back to mind; Trip glanced over his shoulders at the questioning look Major Hayes was frowning at Hoshi. "And how's that?"

Turning around so that she was now walking backwards, Hoshi regarded the rest of the away team with an impish smile. "Apparently, the women here find a nice set of _wide_ shoulders to be the most attractive feature on a man; the wider the shoulders, the sexier the man." She gave Major Hayes's broad shoulders an unholy appreciative glance making him just a little hot under the collar. "Miran says that you've got, and I quote, '_beautiful_ shoulders.'" Her unabashed smile was making Matt just a little uncomfortable. "She likes your chin too," then had to reach out to grab Cdr. Tucker's arm as she stumbled on some pebbles on the road.

Reed, DeMarco and Jamison couldn't hide their amusement but felt it unnecessary to embarrass the major by laughing in his face; Tucker wasn't so nice. The poor MACOs look ready to burst as they turned their heads and suppressed their chuckles with great difficulties. It certainly won't be the first time civilians found their CO to be attractive; but it was the first time anyone's actually said it to his face. Hoshi Sato's status among the MACOs just went up another notch.

Tucker fell back and nudged the major with his elbow, "Told you." He chuckled as the major made a disgruntled noise.

They walked on in silence… well, the rest of the away team was in silence, Hoshi wasn't. She pointed out different things to the rest of the group, speaking lively on traditions, special garb, certain symbols and signs on doorways and between buildings that were good luck. She asked questions, laughed, chatted, danced a few steps with the villagers that found her open nature charming.

"To'dola biuenim," a man said as he took a hold of Hoshi's waist, completely ignore the contingent behind her.

Laughing, she shook her head and backed away from him, stumbling slightly as she lost her balance. Major Hayes caught her under the arm before she could hit the ground. He didn't utter a word, merely gave the man an expressionless look and shook his head firmly. The man nodded in perfect understanding and walked away.

"You chased him away," Hoshi complained in a whiny tone then laughed. "Good thing too; my hero," giving the major a caress along his arm then skipped along humming tunelessly to herself.

There was a long stunned moment as the rest of the away team looked at one another for explanation. This was not the same Hoshi Sato they had come to the planet with. Heck, this wasn't the same ensign they had entered the village with.

"Hoshi?" Trip asked quietly as she turned away from a tray to colorful food that reminded Trip of a platter of confetti.

"Yes, sir?" she answered with a slightly glassy smile. "Major," she called out the warning just in time to see the MACO commander avoid a seeking hand that wished to dance. "Better be careful," she in a sing-songy tone. "The Jukinarians women share their lovers with their sisters."

The rest of the team swallowed laughter as the major stared at Ensign Sato with grave concern. "Perhaps you shouldn't try any more the Jukinarians food, Ensign."

"Nonsense," she remarked, missing the startled look from the rest of the away team at her flippant response. "They're delicious. You really ought to try some."

"Hoshi," Tip said again, bringing her wondering gaze to him with a touch at her elbow even as he struggled not to laugh at Major Hayes. "Did Dr. Phlox by any chance give you anything? You know, to help you with your claustrophobia?"

"Why yes he did," she answered cheerfully, "A little green pill, Liz brought it to me when I was in the locker room. Said it would help me relax and get into the caves. A good doctor Phlox is," her smiles were becoming a little vague and reminded Trip of a playful child.

Tucker nodded his head slowly, looking at Reed who rolled his eyes. "And when did you take the little green pill?"

She had to concentrate to remember. "Just before we entered the village."

Hayes pulled his arm out, looking at his chronometer. "Thirty-five minutes."

"The pill's taken effect," Reed pronounced unnecessarily and suppressed a grin of ironic amusement. A nervous Hoshi was interesting to watch, a happy Hoshi was a delight… but a slightly drunk Hoshi?

Tucker gave a ruthful shake of his head. "She's as high as a kite."

"Am not," she countered, waving cheerfully at a group of laughing children that were singing a song about the ocean and boats and the high winds of Turlpin. "I feel just dandy."

"I'm sure you do," Reed said unable to hold back to chuckle. She was adorably disorientated and endearingly clumsy now as her equilibrium was shot.

"This is bad," Hayes muttered dryly, though he was somewhat relieved to know that drugs had induced the strange behavior in the normally reserved and even shy ensign. He caught the ensign again as she stumbled over nothing.

"Ya think _this_ is bad?" Tucker gave him a look that bordered painful. "Wait 'til the happy juice wears off and she's a thousand feet underground. _That _is when it gets bad."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser line for next chapter: "Let's see," pretending to pull up his sleeves and grinned at her as he pulled out survival rations. "We have," squinting slightly in the dim light, "Roast beef and banana," he frowned. "Geeze, who comes up with these flavors?"


	5. Trouble with a Capital T

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **Enterprise encounter a little added trouble. Hoshi deals with some difficulties.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** This is a transition chapter so it's actually pretty boring but read it anyways; it makes the next few chapters a little more understandable. Oh, I changed a couple of things around cause I wanted to; the plot was just too boring for me to play with without a little added problems.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Five – Trouble with a Capital T**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Bridge to Captain Archer?"

A sigh escaped Jon's lips before he could stop himself. "Archer. Something wrong, Sub-Commander?"

"Captain, I believe you will want to see this."

Since it was unlike his science officer to be cryptic, there was only a moment's hesitation before Archer was through the doors of his ready room. He was about to call out when he saw that the rest of the bridge crew was riveted by what was on the viewing screen. The vibrant reds and yellows caught his immediate attention. "What the hell…"

"I have converted the scanners to screen for heat signatures," T'Pol explained quietly, her impassive eyes dark watching the captain as she said it. She hadn't thought of this when they had discussed the mission. It wasn't until they had lost communication with the away team that she considered the idea a little more carefully. A part of her feared that the captain's impulsive nature was beginning to inadvertently influence her judgment.

"And?"

"I believe the away team is in the vicinity of an erupting volcano."

"What?"

"The red indicates center points of…"

"I see at least four points."

"It is most likely they are heading here," indicating with her hand toward the left region of the map. "The compound of the soil is too dense for a clear reading. I believe they are where the volcanoes have begun erupting."

"And the yellows?"

"Areas that are beginning to cool."

Shaking his head, "Do we still have a link with the team?"

"We lost communication fifteen minutes ago when the away team entered the caves."

"Great," Archer muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. The situation just keeps getting better and better. All he needed now was a squad of Xindi fighters to complete his day. "And do _they_ know?"

"I do not believe so."

There was something about T'Pol's absolute calm that made an impression. "What aren't you tell me, Sub-Commander?"

"I believe the team is not in any danger."

Archer's brow rose in a manner that was reminiscent of T'Pol's when she finds human behavior illogical. "Really?"

"The caverns in which Ensign Sato believes the Xindi have commandeered are ancient, well preserved. The Jukinarians have obviously replied upon these caves to protect their society for centuries now. And while there are chances of the away team being danger, I do not believe these eruptions from the geological occurrences will pose any threat to these 'hiding place' that the Jukinarians have created. It is illogical for them to place their safety in a place where they cannot be insured of their survival."

Mayweather turned in his seat to stare at T'Pol for a moment. "Yeah, but doesn't mean accidents and miscalculations don't happen."

For a split second, T'Pol seemed offended by the questioning of her logic. But she is Vulcan and therefore prone to think things completely through; she accepted the reason of it. "That is true."

Surprised by her agreement, Mayweather sat with gapping like a landed fish.

Archer rubbed his aching head with his forefinger for a moment and pulled his thoughts together. "Is there _any_ danger to the away team?"

"There are always dangers, Captain."

"I meant from the volcano," he said with a snap, more than a little irritated with his second-in-command's less then straightforward response.

"Not at the moment," T'Pol replied evenly.

Considering his options, none of which are too great to begin with, "Keep an eye on the happening via scanner, I want to know the minute anything happens. Put together a rescue team and keep them on standby. If there is even a chance it looks like our people could be in trouble, we'll extract them," he paused and considered it for a moment. "Put Lt. Mazer in charge and have Ensign Tanner there for translations. Mayweather, I want you to pilot if they end up having to go down."

"Yes, captain."

-&-&-&-

"Hoshi?"

"Yes, commander?" she answered absentmindedly as she continued her rapid pace pacing of the small cavern. She was frightened, tired and cold; and on top of that, she's got a headache the size of the cavern they were currently occupying. The only thing that could make this worse is if there was suddenly an earthquake. That would just be the topping on her otherwise rotten day. And though she wasn't aware, the rest of the away team was following her very agitated step as she drove them to distraction.

"Could you stop that?"

"Sorry, sir," she replied without thought and continued her pacing. Step, bang; step, bang; step, bang… Every step seemed to aggravate the headache, which was shooting her concentration to hell.

"HOSHI!" Trip yelled, causing more than one person to jump. "Quit with the pacing, you're making me sea sick." Big doe eyes stared back, hurt. He felt like the underbelly of a snake. "Darling, just relax; you're doing fine."

"Fine?" she asked, going from hurt to outrage in two microns. "I'm not doing _fine_. I can't read half this crap on the wall," gesturing agitatedly to the crudely drawn map with more letters and symbols than one of Trip's preliminary blueprints of _Enterprise_. "If I can't read it, we're not going _anywhere_!"

"Okay, okay," Trip said eyeing her carefully. There was just no understanding women. "Just take your time."

"Take my time," she muttered just under her breath, her brows furrowed with anger and concern as she continued to fiddle with her UT. "We're over a thousand feet below the surface of a freaking planet loaded with volcanoes and the man wants me to take my time," Hoshi made an irritated sound with the back of her throat and muttered some more in another language.

"I think she just cursed you in Vulcan, sir," Reed whispered, his hand ready on his weapon even as one corner of his lip jerked upward.

Trip grunted his agreement.

"Klingon," Hoshi snapped without looking up. "It was in Klingon," nothing was better for cursing than Klingon which had quickly replaced Russian as her cursing language of choice.

Reed made a face and whispered in an even lower tone, "Forgot about her 'miracle' ear."

"Apparently," she answered perfectly audible.

Katie offered the two commanding officers a sympathetic look. "She's just frustrated, sirs."

The two nodded their understanding.

None of them could have anticipated finding yet another dialect within the actual caves. Hoshi had been more than dismayed; she had down right freaked out. It was speculation, mostly by a muttering Hoshi as she paced next to the wall of information that she couldn't quite read, that this was a more ancient form of the modern Jukinarians language. But what she was translating using the modern form as a basis didn't make any sense.

"Is she allowed to talk to them like that?" Sanchez asked when it appeared that the ensign was once more engrossed in her analysis of the wall, which meant she was going to ignore everything and everyone else around her until she completed what she was doing, or someone was stupid enough to interrupt her again. She's been like that for more than an hour now.

DeMarco shrugged, hefting his rifle again. "Hoshi gets away with things most of us can only dream of."

"You think the drugs worn off yet?" Jamison asked, his eyes on the translator. He was dying to get a look at Hoshi's UT.

"Doubtful," Romero replied, guarding the entrance like a hawk. So far, only two people have passed the base area, both of them appeared to be school children that dared each other into the caverns and scurried out the minute they heard something… like Romero tossing rocks against the stone walls. "Else she wouldn't have talked back to the commander that way."

"She's a spitfire without all the structural restraint, isn't she?" Kemper observed with an appreciative rising of the brow.

"Careful, Chang's called it already," Sanchez grinned.

"So?" Kemper grinned, merely wiggling his brows. "All is fair in love and war, and therefore, may the best man win."

"Gentlemen," Major Hayes's harsh warning cut through like a cleaver on butter. He was thoroughly wishing he had chosen a less gossipy bunch.

Eyes on the wall, Hoshi played with her UT some more. Finding the map had been gold. It was a good indication that these tunnels and caverns were well maintained and had some logic to them. And while the blackened areas obviously showed them where caverns and tunnels had collapsed, there were writings, symbols and a key in various dialects that was suppose to tell them other things. Hoshi understood some of it, but a majority has written in a dialect that she's not seen before. And she couldn't seem to find a common source. There has to be a way to break through though. None of the dialects she's encountered so far has been particularly difficult once she figured out what the… of course, she was studying the other stuff without the pounding headache that was currently distracted her to no end. With a hissing sigh, she rubbed her eyes.

Getting up, Trip went next to her, offering water from a container. The drugs were wearing off and he could see that they had left some residual effects upon the ensign. "Take a break, Hoshi," he said softly, concern for her obvious in his eyes. "You're pushing yourself too hard."

"I have to get this done, sir," her voice full of regret and anger, at herself. With a sigh, she looked at him with sorrowful eyes, "I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's okay," he said sincerely, he'd take her angry over frightened any day. "Ain't your fault that these people can't pick one language and stick to it."

She laughed as he had meant her to and nodded her head. "Thanks, commander."

"It's Trip, remember?"

"Trip," she repeated obediently.

"That's my girl," he grinned, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. "We should have us some supper," he pronounced loudly, dragging Hoshi away from the wall. "Anyone want some 'delicious' Star Fleet rations?"

The rest of the Star Fleet personnel groaned, including Hoshi.

"Hell yeah," Sanchez lowered his weapon and dug into his pack with one hand. "It bets the military rations any day."

"Eat in shifts," Hayes ordered, his weapon still trained on the entranceway. He shook his head at Sanchez. Cdr. Tucker's casual command and manner has taken its effect. "Ramero, Kemper, keep your post. Coates, Sanchez, take second shift."

Lt. Reed's nodded his agreement and gave the okay for Lt. Jamison and Ensign DeMarco to eat with the MACO's while he covered security as well. He and Hayes had reluctantly agreed on their positions; the MACOs, with the exception of Major Hayes, will secure the perimeters while Reed and his man watched the engineers, Hayes will watch Ensign Sato as per Captain's request. "Hoshi, how much longer?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly, rubbing her eyes to ease her exhaustion. She wasn't sure what was worse, the bone deep exhaustion or the nerve wrecking headaches or the rising tide of fear from seeing nothing but rocks on all sides of her.

"I need an ETA, Ensign," Reed pushed gently. He didn't want to, but he had a job to do.

Taking a breath and pushing all other concerns to the back of her mind, Hoshi stared at the wall map again, wishing she could break through whatever language shield had been placed over it. "I need at least another hour."

"You've got forty minutes," Reed pronounced, his eyes going to a frowning Cdr. Tucker's for a moment, subtly shaking his head. "We can't keep wasting time here; if you can't figure out the map by then, we'll simply have to keep moving and hope for the best."

The unfurling ball of panic in her stomach made its way up her throat. Hoshi choked it down with some difficulty. "Yes sir."

Tucking his irritation away, Trip sat down and pulled open his survival pack. He hated rations with a passion since having to live on them for fourteen days during survival training. But for the sake of everyone, he was going to put up as good a front as any. "So, what's your pleasure, Hoshi?" pulling out several nutrient packets.

She responded to Trip's lightheartedness with a grateful smile. "What's on the menu?"

"Let's see," pretending to pull up his sleeves and grinned at her as he picked up a packet, "We have," squinting slightly in the dim light, "Roast beef and banana," he frowned, not sure he had read it correctly. But second reading didn't produce a better result. "Geeze, who comes up with these flavors?"

Hoshi laughed, bringing a smile to everyone else's faces.

"Turkey and peaches," Trip made a face and shuddered. "Meatloaf, split peas and grape?" he groaned. "This just gets worse and worse." Shaking his head, he moved on to the next one. "Succulent shrimp and apple sauce. Pancake and…" he was startled as Hoshi suddenly grabbed his arm.

"What did you just say?" her eyes wide with surprise.

"Pancake and…"

"No, before that," she interrupted.

Frowning with confusion, he picked up the packet he had dropped to the side. "Succulent shrimp and…"

"Succulent," Hoshi repeated, the word resented with something else in her mind. Her eyes wondering to the wall with a frown, "Secular," there was a long silence as she pondered it for a long moment. "Of course," nodding to herself.

"Of course what?" Sanchez asked much to the dismay of his teammates, who immediately elbowed him, _hard_. One does not derail the idea-train without a damn good reason.

Thank goodness Hoshi wasn't paying Sanchez the least bit of attention, her mind was otherwise occupied. "What didn't I think of this before?" rushing to the wall, picking up her UT as she went. Stepping up the surface of the ragged rocks, she ran her fingers along the symbols, reading along without any difficulties and nodded to herself. The rest of the away team, with the exception of Sanchez, stood and watched; half expecting the stream of data that was obviously running through her mind to be reflected in her bright eyes. "It makes perfect sense."

Knowing that the storm had passed, Cdr. Tucker cleared his throat softly. "And it says?"

Waving them all over, "There isn't just 'one' energy unit, there are eight."

"Eight?" was the disbelieving exclamation.

"Remember the old saying, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket?' Well, the Jukinarians have the same idea. See these," pointing to several along streams of words that looked nothing alike. "These are power units, built at different times for different capacities. They all have a different function; some are for lighting, some for recycling air, some of heating. These right here," her hand sweeping over the blackened areas, "Don't indicate cave-ins. They're actually flooded areas where the quakes had damaged structural support and immersed certain parts. These," pointing to the section where horizontal lines had been drawn across, "Are the cave-in sections. And this," pointing to a box of words on the bottom, "Tells me that this map is subject to changes."

"You're joking," Reed said with a frown. "They have a disclaimer on their map?"

"Apparently."

"Okay," Trip clapped his hands together. "We got ourselves a working map to play with. Clean up people, let's find ourselves a nice place to park it for the night and work out the details."

"Where are the Xindis?" Coates asked quietly to Hoshi as the rest of the team prepared to go; they can always eat on the road.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," indicating to a spot in the southerner west area. "Logically they would be using the generator to power whatever it is they're powering," pointing to a red marking, "These are generators that have been marked."

"How many are there?"

"Three," pointing them out on the map with some concern. "They are scattered across the labyrinth," which was the only word for it, "And pretty much are at the junction of the major hiding places." She didn't add that they all appeared to have been built at different times for different reasons. And if there were ones that had been built and not marked on the map, it would make locating it nearly impossible.

"Do you have this saved somewhere?" Katie asked, her eyes becoming cross with all the weird symbols and words. Cryptology was never one of her strong suits.

"Yeah," turning her UT over to show her as she continued to study the recording on the wall. "Funny."

"What?"

"For people that have their history recorded by word of mouth, they sure do have a rather elaborate system to writing."

Coates hadn't considered it, of course it wasn't her job to consider it, but it made sense in her mind. "Hey, what was all that about succulent and secular?"

"Oh, that," Hoshi grinned. "Word association in the most bizarre way. I realized that the writing didn't make sense because I was reading it in secular form. If I read it in religious form and replace some of the archaic adjectives with their modern equivalents, then it made perfect sense to me."

"Their secular and religious writings are different?"

"Yeah."

"How complicated!"

"Yeah."

"No wonder you look like you're about to kill someone."

"Yeah."

"Ready to go?"

Hoshi made a face as she looked at the map. If she knew Lt. Reed, and she did, he'll want to camp somewhere out of the way with an easily defensible position. And the closest place she can see on the map that would meet those requirements would take them another thousand feet below sea level. Her stomach turned and all thoughts of food vanished. "Yeah."

-&-&-&

"Sir?"

Looking up from the PADD in his hand, Archer frown for a moment, not recognizing the voice that had spoken from the station normally occupied by Ensign Sato during the alpha shift. "What is it, Ensign?"

"I'm picking up something, sir," Anderson answered with distress.

"What?"

"Captain," T'Pol's impassive voice rolled through.

"What is it, T'Pol?" annoyed that things were cropped up so fast.

"I think I've found the source of Ensign Anderson's disturbance."

Archer waited a beat. "Show me."

T'Pol nodded toward the main screen.

Jon slowly stood from his seat, silently cursing his earlier thoughts. Anderson was the only one that made a sound as they stared at three Reptilian light cruisers bearing down on the planet.

"Well," Archer muttered dryly, "If I had _any_ doubts about Hoshi's findings, they're all gone now."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser line from next chapter: "With all due respect, sir, I don't think she is," Hayes replied with a shake of his head. Anyone can see she was anything but. "She's skin on bones running on raw nerves. If she were one of my men, I'd order her two days of uninterrupted sleep before force feeding her a couple of weeks."


	6. Change in Plans

**Between A Rock and…**** Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** One more time: I don't own STAR TREK. I don't make profits from anything written here. I don't even _like_ half of what I write. Okay? That covers it?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **The away team has to come up with a new plan. Hayes makes a few observations of Hoshi. Archer deals with their new situation. ****

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Don't you just hate it when people change the story on you in the middle of a story? Yeah, well… get over it. That's what I'm doing, I apologize in advance but it kind of turned out this way. Another kind of non-action chapter… in fact, most of my stories are pretty much conversational stories since I majorly suck at writing action, no good with the movement descriptions.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Six – Changes in Plans**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Take a nap, Hoshi."

"Sir…"

"Take a nap, Ensign. That's an order."

Shocked, "Trip!"

"An order, Ensign," Cdr. Tucker repeated as he gave her a gentle push toward her pack, which had been set against the wall in the middle of the little cavern they had chosen for their resting place. The girl literally looked like death warmed over. "Get some rest, darling; we've been walking all night."

"But the mission…" she argued with almost a whine.

"Still needs a little strategizing," he concluded for her with a smug grin. "Look, we're all tired and a little turned around here - except for maybe you. We need to sleep- hell, I need to sleep - now seems as good as any. I gotta go talk to Malcolm and the major 'bout our next step. You've done your part, now let us do ours, okay?"

"You sure, sir?"

"Positive," he replied handed her a ration from his pack, he also managed to pack too many. "Have some… cream corn and strawberry jell-o?" his face twisting with exasperation. Sighing, he made a mental note to write home about these ridiculous flavors of rations. "Never mind, go hungry. It's probably more merciful on your tummy not to mention your taste buds."

Hoshi gave a weak laugh and nodded her head. She was exhausted. Not use to this much strenuous activity, combined with her lack of sleep lately, plus the fact that she's been fighting her need to scream like a twelve year old for hours now; she was well beyond tried. All she wanted now was to catch some z's – preferably on her bed. But her robe and cloak acting as pillow and blanket will do just as well for the moment.

"Secure the area and lock us down for six hours," Hayes ordered quietly as his team took positions across the room from the rest of the away team. "Coates, you and Romero guard the entrance until I complete my meeting with the commander and the lieutenant. We'll keep watch during the sleep cycle, one hour rotation starting with me, Coates, Romero, Kemper and Sanchez. I'll ask the Lieutenant about rotating him and DeMarco into the watch. If Cdr. Tucker and Lt. Jamison want to take a turn, I'll rotate them in with one of you. Ensign Sato sleeps through the night, got it?"

None of the MACOs commented upon the Major's unusual order. When they nodded their understanding, the group spread out and found locations to situate themselves down to rest. Joining Tucker and Reed at the other end of the little cavern off to the side of a long tunnel in a more secluded area of this maze they were in, Hayes took a moment to glance over at Ensign Sato for a moment, assuring himself that she was alright. But she wasn't. _"If she pushed herself any harder, she'll collapse."_

"Major?" Reed interrupted quietly. His eyes took in the other man's object of thought. "She's fine," he pronounced when he finally got the MACO commander's attention.

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think she is," Hayes replied with a shake of his head. Anyone can see she was anything but. "She's skin on bones running on raw nerves. If she were one of my men, I'd order her two days of uninterrupted sleep before force feeding her a couple of weeks."

"Then Hoshi oughta count herself lucky not to be a MACO," Trip replied with a grin. "Though ah'd like to be there when you try to force that girl into anything she ain't willing to do on her own. It's like trying to move Mt. Fuji."

"She's not that stubborn, Commander," Reed said in her defense and privately agreed with the major. Ensign Sato didn't appear in the best of health and really ought not to be here under these conditions.

"Oh yes she is," Trip argued with a nod. "You've seen that girl when she gets her mind set on something. Remember that soup incident? I thought she was going to kill Lt. Kelly over carrots."

Malcolm's lips twitched for a second. "She was under an alien influence, sir."

"Nevertheless--"

"Perhaps we should talk bout what we are going to do, commander?" Hayes interrupted with some amusement. It was like watching brothers squabble.

"Right, Matt," clapping his hand on the major's shoulder. "Ah can call you Matt, right?"

Reluctantly amused by the man's openly friendly nature, "Yes, sir."

"Name's Trip seeing as how we'll be spending a couple of days in each other's company," Tucker said with a grin as Malcolm pulled out the PADD that Hoshi had given them. "Now, our plans will have to change in accordance with everything we've learned while down in this rat maze…"

"Our goals are still the same: find the de-stablizer and destroy it," Reed pointed out.

"You love every chance to blow something up, don't you?" Trip teased with a laugh.

"I'm stating the mission," Reed replied with a touch of annoyance. They man's exuberate spirit was difficult to deal with at times. "And must you make a joke out of everything."

"Sorry," Trip had the grace to blush though he looked anything but. "Ah'm still in the 'Keep Hoshi Calm' mode."

"How is that going?" Hayes asked quietly, sneaking another glance at the ensign, who was sitting with Coates on the far side of the cavern… next to the entrance. The two women appeared to be chatting quietly even as Coates's eyes never ignored from her duties. Matt's eyes narrowed as his mind analyzed the situation and went through several scenarios in a blink of an eye. Decision made; "Sergeant!" Both women turned to look at him, making Matt suddenly feel self-conscious for no apparent reason. "Trade positions with Kemper."

Coates stood slowly; the question on her face. "Sir?"

"Do it, Sergeant!" Hayes's voice carried across the room without any effort.

Nodding, Katie disengaged her weapon and removed herself from the cavern entrance, letting Kemper move into position as she and Hoshi walked back to the center of the room, away from the doorway.

Hoshi's eyes were apologetic. "I'm sorry if I got you into trouble."

"Forget it," Katie answered, more puzzled than anything else. "I'm sure the major has his reasons." And while she didn't say what she thought those reasons were, watching the major watching them, added to his order earlier, gave her some clues.

"What was that about?" Tucker asked quietly.

"I don't want Sato near the entrance," was the explanation given.

"Just doing your job, huh?"

"Yes, sir."

Trip nodded his head slowly, as if trying to convince himself. "Ya sure that's it?"

Hayes didn't even bat an eye. "Yes, sir."

Reed raised a brow, not all together sure if _he_ believed the bluntly honest major or not. There was something in the man's eyes… But that was a problem to be dealt with at a later time. "The Reptilians," bringing their attention back to the subject at hand.

"Hoshi's pointed out three generators that she knows of," Tucker said quietly as they studied the map. "Logically, that's where the uglies are gonna wanna be at, which means we've got to check them all out." He wasn't exactly thrilled with having to search for the right one but at least he knew that he won't be leaving the Jukinarians high and dry and without a generator for their underground facilities. A couple of extra days of crawling around in the dark were a small price to pay for a guilt free conscience.

"Here's our biggest problem," Reed continued, his brows furrowed together with concern. "According to what Hoshi is telling me and my calculations, we didn't bring nearly enough explosives." He didn't want to add that even if he did, it didn't guarantee much without of reading of what they're dealing with. "If the Reptilians are using the generator as a booster, we're going to need a power source of our own."

"Can we tap into the generator the Reptilian's are using?" Hayes asked, his eyes studying the two men. They were brilliant, he didn't doubt that. He was there more as a sounding board then really a strategy session; a perfectly fine position to him.

"Too dangerous," Tucker crossed his arms and leaned back against the side of the cavern. "We risk overloading the system too quickly putting _us_ at risk 'cause we don't know what kind of system they have. And ah ain't going get a whole lot of time to study it if we get a hit on one."

"Plus I'd feel better if we have the explosive setup already before moving in," Reed pronounced looking blindly at the map before them. This mission is getting more complicated by the moment. "Our objective is to destroy it, with or without readings."

"Attach and blow?" Tucker asked a little surprised.

"Best method if we get into a firefight," Reed answered with a shrug. "Less danger to our people."

"I'd like to give the captain _something_," Tucker muttered.

Hayes felt the need to interject, "I think the captain would rather have his people back then information on a weapon that the Xindi aren't going to be able to use once we kill it."

"Agreed." Reed gave Tucker a smug look.

"Fine, fine," Trip rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, you boys sure can take the fun out of an outing."

"We're here to do a job, Commander," Reed reminded him indulgently.

"Don't mean we can't get something out of it," Trip groused.

"How do we destroy it?" Hayes asked, getting them back on the topic. The Fleeters have such wondering minds.

"We need more juice," Tucker stated, "It's going to be as simple as that. Amp up the power on our explosives so we're not relying on chance."

"The storage units," Hayes reminded him. "Sato said there are several different areas where they are storing energy. If they're portable…"

"That's a big 'if,'" Reed pointed out but considered it. "Do we know?"

Tucker groaned and looked over at Hoshi. The girl was sitting up straight, her cloak wrapped tightly around her shoulder as she chatted with Sgt. Coates. "Ah hate doing this…" he mumbled before calling out to her. "Hoshi!"

She jumped as if someone had stabbed her with a hot poker. Turning with wide deer-in-the-headlight eyes, "Yes, sir?"

Frowning with concern, "Ya alright there, darling?"

"Fine," she answered an octave higher than her normal serene tone.

Completely unconvinced and not exactly sure what was going on, Trip waved her over. "We need a moment with ya."

Turning, she stared for one panic moment at Sgt. Coates, who gave her a shooing motion, before scrambling to her feet awkwardly. "Yes, sir." She tripped halfway between where she was and where she was going, only managing to catch herself with her hands. Blushing madly and rolling her eyes at her own clumsiness, Hoshi got to her feet again quickly and sat down by Trip with a sigh. "Yes, sir?"

"You sure you're all right?" Trip asked, peering at her red face.

Swallowing hard, "Of course," she squeaked before clearing her throat, her eyes darting everywhere but at the commander's face.

Major Hayes looked at her curiously before turning to Sgt. Coates, who was watching with keen interest. Frowning at his old comrade, he gave her a questioning look that only produced a blush with no context before Coates looked away. "What were you and Sgt. Coates discussing just now, Ensign Sato?"

Hoshi's eyes came up then down again quickly. "Nothing, sir."

"Well now, that's just plain ain't true, Hoshi-girl," Tucker teased. "Jon's right, ya got the worse poker face in the world. Come on, share with your ole' pal."

"No way," she gave him a light shove because he was being more friend than commander. "You like to gossip too much and this is personal."

"How personal?" he asked, more than interested now.

She shook her head firmly at him. "You wanted to see me about something, Commander?"

Placing his hand over his heart, he winced as if wounded. "Ouch," then ruined it by beginning to laugh hysterically.

Ignoring the commander, Hoshi looked pointedly at Lt. Reed. "Sir?"

Malcolm gave the uproarious chief engineer a 'knock it off' look and handed the PADD to Hoshi. "Can you tell if any of these energy units are portable?"

"Portable?"

"Explosives aren't gong to be enough," Hayes explained briefly wondering if he needed to get the commander's attention back on this as the man seemed to be unable to stop rolling on the ground with laughter.

"I'm not all together sure, sir," her finger tapping lightly at the PADD to zoom in. Her eyes darted to the chief engineer for a moment before prodding him the toe of her boots.

"Commander," Reed said exasperated.

Trip wiped the water from his eyes. "You were talking about men, weren't you Hosh?"

Hoshi gave him a reprimanding look. "Don't flatter yourselves. Girls actually do talk about _other_ things besides boys and their…"

"Ensign," Reed cut her off quickly with a frown.

Rolling her eyes, "I don't know where your mind was sir, but I was going to say boys and their _egos_." The look she gave the lieutenant was so innocently sweet it sent Trip into another peal of laughter and even brought of slight smile to Hayes's face.

Blushing a horrid shade of pink, Reed cleared his throat and attempted to get back to the subject at hand. "The storage units, Ensign?"

Her lips twitching with amusement, "Give me a few minutes," and began to scroll through some of the scanned photos of the mural map. "And give me the specs on what you need," waiting while Lt. Reed handed over a rough estimate of what energy output he thinks was going to be required. Her impish smile faded as she began to concentration on the translations, her pale face illuminated by the light units the MACOs had setup around the cavern. "Hum--"

Trip opened his mouth to ask what the "Hum--" meant when the major stopped him with a quick shake of his head. Taking a cue from the two men next to him, he stayed quiet and watched Hoshi work.

Matt Hayes's eyes were watching the emotions flutter across the Ensign Sato's face. If he didn't know better, Matt could have sworn she was troubled by the content more than the translations. She was chewing lightly on her bottom lip, her eyes riveted by what she was doing, her body tense with stress and her face pale and thin from malnutrition. _"It's like watching a train wreck,"_ he thought, _"You can see what's happening but you can't do anything to stop it. She's working herself one foot into the grave."_ He could never understand how anyone could neglect their health for sake of their work.

Unbeknownst to the major, the rest of the away team was watching him.

"Okay, I think I've got it. There are actually three portable units," Hoshi turned the PADD over and handed it to the commander, the highest ranking person on the team. "But there's a problem."

"Ain't there always?" Trip said groan as he watched the screen blinked up at him. He didn't understand any of it. Because the blinking light was making him slightly dizzy, he handed it off to Reed. "Let's hear'em."

"Well, the three units were built around the same time," she explained pulling her knees up to her chest to retain more warmth. One would think that being underground with two live volcanoes around them would make the place warm but they had no such luck. The damp cold air had numbed her face and fingers sometime in the last two hours but she couldn't have been bothered with it, not when she was trying to watch the signs and stories written on along the tunnel walls in the limited light she was allowed. And while the headache had receded along with the fuzzy haze induced by medication, she still hadn't been able to concentrate solely on their mission, not with all those walls closing in on them. Taking a breath, she gathered her wondering thoughts. "The Jukinarians had this idea that if they built portable units, they can move it around so that they don't need to keep building it when the old ones get lost in cave-ins and floods."

"But?" Reed encouraged when she paused a little too long.

Her throat felt parched. "But portable units can't handle the kind of capacity that the normally grounded ones can."

Trip nodded his head with understanding. "Of course, so they had to abandon it when they realize it ain't gonna work."

"But it just might work for us," she concluded.

"And the problem would be?" Hayes prompted, turning back to the first line of questions.

"Sometime ago, they abandon the units when they started to built new ones. Of the three units, two have already been buried under rubbles from cave-ins. No way to get to them without several days and a ton of excavation equipment."

"And the third?" Reed asked, already dreading the answer.

"May be submerged in a flooded area. The good news is that even if it were, these things are waterproof. It's probably still viable… just very wet."

"Oh, great."

-&-&-&-

"Can they see us, T'Pol?" Archer asked in an unnecessary whisper.

"I do not believe so, the gaseous masses on this moon will interfere with their visual sensors," she paused for a moment. "It will also make it impossible to detect us audibly."

Mayweather's lips twitched, "Holding pattern sir?"

"Keep us behind this moon, Ensign," Archer ordered with a glare for T'Pol. Right now was really not the time to be messing with him. "I don't want those Reptilians seeing us until we're good and ready for them to see us."

"Aye, aye, captain."

"Captain," T'Pol stood from her position. "A moment, if you please?"

Tilting his head to his ready room, he allowed her to precede him. "What is it, T'Pol?" he asked as he got behind his desk with a sigh. He was tired, hungry and tense. Worse of all, he felt guilty; and he wasn't a particular fan of the emotion either.

"_Enterprise_ cannot withstand an engagement with three Reptilian cruisers." She wasn't pointing out anything the captain shouldn't already know. "It is illogical to put the ship at such a risk." Yet, she has observed the something irrational behavior displayed by the captain and several of the senior bridge officers.

"I wasn't exactly consulted on this either, T'Pol," Archer muttered as he looked out his window. "But the fact is there are three enemy ships over a planet that I've just sent ten of my people into. What do you think is going to happen when they're discovered? They'll know we're around." He raised his brows at his Sub-Commander with some interest. "And then we'll be in a firefight whether we like it or not."

If the Vulcan officer was surprised or annoyed with the suddenly logic being directed at her, her only reaction was a carefully raised brow that questioned the captain for a second before nodding her head and turning about.

"We're not leaving without them," Archer reminded her in a slightly raised voice.

"Understood, Captain," she replied and left the room. She hadn't expected anything less.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line from Next Chapter: Rubbing her shoulder blade, Coates made a face at Sato, who was doing a horrible job at containing herself. "You know, this is the problem with being a MACO: everyone thinks of you as one of the guys. How's girl ever to get herself a guy if they all think of you _as_ a guy?"


	7. Coping Strategies

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **Coates teaches Sato a way to deal with her fears. Hoshi points the team toward a right direction. Archer gets a little help from Phlox.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** I'm waiting rather impatiently for the next season to begin so they can finish all this temporal war thing. It's getting confusing and a little annoying now. Plus I'm dying to see Brent Spiner guest star.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

**Acknowledgement**: For Steph, my beta. You are wonderful!

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Seven – Coping Strategies**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"I thought for sure they heard us."

"You're not the one that had to face them," Hoshi made a noise that was a cross between a groan and giggle, then sat down next to Katie Coates again. "But all they wanted was some more translations on a location of an energy unit."

"Thank god."

"Yeah," then let out a small giggle. "Though I would have loved to see Cdr. Tucker's face if he ever find out you picture him naked when you're nervous."

Coates pressed her lips together and suppressed the urge to giggle like a teen. She glanced up to make sure no one could overhear them. "Hey, he kept me from going into hysterics being the one that goes into the dark; I hate the dark. I really, _really_ hate the dark." Katie did two tours on the Mar, which was dark six days out of a week. "Haven't you ever seen any of the old 20th century horror films? The first one into the dark is always the first one to die." Hoshi gurgled a laugh as Katie made an unpleasant face. "When we first came onboard and we had to rescue the captain and Cdr. Tucker from those mines, I was scared witless. I've only trained off-planet, never a mission. I used the commander as my sanity-saving point, waiting for me at the end of my lead rope."

"But naked?" her eyes wide with disbelief, her own nervousness receded as she was shocked by Coates's coping methods.

"_Butt_ naked," she corrected with a devious laugh. "And what a fine butt that boy…"

"Stop it, stop it, stop it. I have to work with him," Hoshi wailed quietly. An unwanted image of a stripped down Commander Tucker in the decontamination chamber came to mind; and then a few more images made their way in. "Oh god," she buried her face in her hands. _"I'm never going to be able to look him in the eyes again."_

"Hoshi, ya alright?"

She muffled a shriek at the sound of Cdr. Tucker's voice.

"Shh…" Katie made a frantic motion has she turned a bright shade of red. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

"You're the one that started it!" Hoshi replied in a harsh whisper.

"I was just trying to help," not bothering to hide her grin.

"It's claustrophobia, not stage fright."

"Still…" she tilted her head and regarded her with twinkling eyes, "You have to admit it keeps you from thinking too much about the walls around us."

"Oh god," she squeezed her eyes shut. "How am I going to face him?"

"Quick, imagine someone else," Katie suggested as she saw the commander get up out of the corner of her eye. "Like…um… um…" her mind searched for another fine looking man that the girls on the MACO unit giggle about. "… like the captain."

"That's no better!" Hoshi hissed in a real panic now as her mind went to bad, _bad_ places. Now she was going to have to spend the rest of the trip avoiding everyone's eyes just to keep her composure. On the other hand, she had completely forgotten to be nervous over her claustrophobia.

"What are you two whispering about?" Sanchez asked, his feet propped up as he checked his weapon, a nightly ritual.

"Mind your own business," Coates growled at her comrade. Sanchez put up his hands and backed off quickly; women were dangerous in packs.

"Hoshi?" Trip asked coming closer to knelt down next to her, sending a blushing Sgt. Coates a curious look before turning to his friend. "Are you all right there, darling?"

Peeking through her fingers, Hoshi bit her lip hard to keep from bursting into laughter. If Katie's face was any brighter shade, she'd be in danger of literally exploding. "Yes sir."

"Ya sure?" Trip frowned with concern. Her skin had an unnatural flush, which put color on her pale face but was still unusual on her. Putting his hand on her forehead, "You don't feel hot."

"I'm fine sir," Hoshi reassured him, sitting up straight when she saw that he really was concerned over her welfare. It warmed her to know that he cared. "Katie was just helping me with – um – my problems with enclosed spaces."

"Really?" he replied with obvious relief as evidenced by his sigh. He turned to the MACO, "What've you been telling Hoshi, Sergeant?"

Katie wished for a hole to open up so she could crawl into it and just die of embarrassment. "Um – nothing much sir." If McKenzie found about this, she was never going to hear the end of it. "Just that – that – that laughter is the best cure for every ailment."

Trip, more institutive than anyone will ever give him credit for, smiled and nodded his head knowingly. Growing up with two sisters gave him plenty of opportunities to analyze irrationalities of the female mind. It also taught him that if a girl didn't want you knowing about something, there's usually a damn good reason for it. Woe to the man that was stupid enough to push. "Very good advice, Sergeant, keep up the great work," then with a wink for Hoshi and a whacking pat on the shoulder for Katie, he left the ladies to their talk.

Rubbing her shoulder blade, Coates made a face at Sato, who was doing a horrible job at containing herself. "You know, this is the problem with being a MACO: everyone thinks of you as one of the guys. How's a girl ever to get herself a guy if they all think of you _as_ a guy?"

Hoshi smothered a giggle with much difficulty. "You should hear what Lizzie tells the girls to do - Elizabeth Cutler that is," she clarified. It just hit her that the Star Fleet women and the MACO women didn't associate all that much. _"Well, we'll just have to change that, won't we?"_

"What?"

The edges of Hoshi's lips made an upward turn. "Strip down for the guy. There are very few men that would be able to think, much less do, _anything_ at that point."

"She didn't!" a whole new respect for Fleeters suddenly arose in her.

"I don't have any first hand knowledge of it," Hoshi answered honestly, though she had a feeling Lizzie had been joking at the time. But with Liz, sometimes one really couldn't tell. "But she and Dr. Phlox…"

Coates's eyes went wide. "No!"

"Yes," nodding her head in affirmation.

"Wow!" Katie's whole face lit up with interest. "I heard Denobulans have three wives and their wives have three husbands."

"They do," curious as to what would cause this reaction.

Katie couldn't hold onto her laughter any longer. "They must get _plenty_ of practice then. Lucky Cutler."

It took a stunned moment for Hoshi to get the gist of the comment, then another breathless moment to get over the shock of it as she picked her jaw office the ground before she burst into laughter, muffling it quickly behind her hands with great difficulty as the rest of the team turned to look at them. Eyes brimming with glee, "Oh god, I've got to tell Lizzie this."

"You won't!" Katie choked out, eyes wide with shock.

"Of course I have to." Hoshi wrapped the cloak tighter herself. Was it her or was it getting colder? "Katie, you've got to come to girl's night."

A tiny crease appeared between Coates's brows. "What's that?"

"The first of every month, the girls on the ship gather in the gallery for a little movie, a little chatting, a little nail polishing and just plain gossiping. Just about everyone tries to come unless they're on duty and most rotate their duties so they can at least show up once every two months. Chef makes special pies just for us."

"Oh… I'd go just for the pies." Katie had never enjoyed better pecan pies in her life since coming onboard _Enterprise_. No matter how bad things are going, Chef always manages to bring forth a couple of smiles with his wondrous pies. "Who talked him into that? He snarls at us when we ask for seconds."

"Lizzie and me," she grinned. "The guys have their private poker nights all over the ship. I thought with the men outnumbering the women 2 to 1, we should have something special as well."

Chuckling, "Why do I have a feeling you guys do more than just gossip?"

"Oh we gossip about _lots_ of things," Hoshi informed her conspiratorially as she reached for the ration Katie had set out for her. "And that includes what Joanne Burns would like to do to Corporeal Hawkins if she ever catches him in the gym alone again." She lost her grin as she glanced down at her ration, "Beef with broccoli and sweet melons. Yuck, I'll never be this hungry."

Katie laughed - at what she wasn't so sure.

-&-&-&-

"I don't think you need to worry too much about keeping Hoshi calm, Commander," Reed said as he glanced over when soft giggling could be heard again. There was actually something rather comforting by the two girls' laughter. It evoked better times.

Tucker bit into the unappetizing ration, trying not to taste it. Whoever decided on spaghetti and Florida peaches needed to be shoved into the nearest airlock. "Looks like Sgt. Coates is doing my job for me. That or Hoshi's got another happy pill hiding somewhere."

"They seem happy," Reed smile as Hoshi laughed again at something Coates said, waving away the comment with a roll of her tired eyes. She appeared her age once more. "But they should get some rest while they can."

"Give them a few more minutes, Malcolm," Trip suggested as Major Hayes approached. "It's the most relaxed ah've seen Hoshi in a while. Don't spoil the fun for her."

"She's got to rest if she's going to be of any good to us tomorrow," Reed pointed out wearily. But the commander was right; it's the first time he's seen the formerly cheerful communications officer laugh in a long while. _"Lord, we've been so buried in our work that we've forgotten about the people."_ Glancing at the rest of the away team, "Major, shall we do rotations for sleep?"

"It's already set up," Matt replied as he sat down and checked his weapon. A man and his rifle: a relationship not to be messed with. "Can I rotate you and your man in?"

"Me and Jamison too," Trip added with a firm nod though his tone was light. "Can't let you boys have all the fun 'round here." It was an order, not a suggestion.

"You're part's coming up," Matt replied though he wasn't going to argue with the commander. Pride was a great motive and a dangerous enemy. Without thought, he disassembled his rifle, checking every part before reassembling it again with sure hands. "We've all got basic training in computer construction but you're the expert on this one." He glanced briefly at the PADD in Cdr. Tucker's hand, reminding himself of the different functions a PADD can do.

"Agreed," Malcolm murmured quietly, chewing on his own unappetizing ration.

"Now that ain't true," Trip chirped in and finally gave up on the ration. He was just not hungry enough to eat this crap. "Give me a warp engine, the schematics of any ship, hell give me a monkey wrench and a good ole' fashion ford truck and I'm as happy as a hog in the trough. But weapons…" He made a face and pretended to shudder. "That's you boys' field o' expertise. I'll build them but ya gotta play with them."  
"Who's got to play with what?" Hoshi asked as she squirmed her way into the circle, her pale face illuminated by the light unit set up next to Trip. She handed out some hard biscuits to them with a mild smile. "Shh… don't wake the others," she said softly before biting into her biscuit.

"Darlin', you're a life saver," Trip whispered and gave her a one armed hug as he bit into a hard biscuit. "Ah've never tasted anything so bland or so good. And we were talking about the boys here and their toys."

Hayes studied the biscuit with interest as he added, "I believe that's Lt. Reed's proficiency. I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy."

Hoshi made a face and offered him juice from a box.

"Where did you get these, Hoshi?" Reed asked, savoring the non-taste of the biscuits. There was a downtime feel to the moment and he didn't feel the need to address her as a subordinate despite his role on this mission.

"Chef likes me," she explained with a grin as she scrounged around the little bag she was holding. "He always makes sure I get a knapsack full of these things when he knows I'm going away. Thinks the rations are…" she paused to remember the dramatic moment in the kitchen when the big burly man had scoffed at the rations she had complained to him about, "'…a disgrace to the culinary arts. Do not ever allow them in my presence again,'" she quoted in a near perfect imitation of the Swedish man's accent.

Trip laughed while Reed and Hayes shook their heads at her. "How did he even have time to…"

"Oh he keeps them around in a big box. These things are so dry that they keep for months at a time. If you ask him, he'll give it to you without a fuss. Liz stopped by to get some for me when she came with the pill…" Her pretty face screwed up in a disagreeable expression. "Which is why I'm here."

Handing the biscuits back in one hand, Hayes tugged gently on her cloak with the other, briefly wondering if he was allowed to touch her like this but shrugged it off. "Stay warm, these combat suits are good but they're not perfect. And save these for yourself; I can handle lousy rations for a few days."

"Don't be a martyr," she scolded gently as she practically shoved a biscuit into the major's mouth, ignoring his startled look. "Why suffer when you don't have to? Besides, I expect to be out of here in a day or two and I've got plenty of biscuits to go around until then." She gave his knee a quick pat and then went back to tugging on her cloak. "About this afternoon," she bit her lip gently. "I wanted to apologize for any… inappropriate behavior I may have shown while under the influence of Phlox's 'help.' I honestly didn't know that the pill was a mild sedative." She didn't add that she probably would have done the exact same thing again given that she doubted she could have made it pass the first hundred miles without completely losing her sanity if not for being drugged.

With his mouth full, Hayes couldn't comment without appearing like an uncouth ass; but she looked so adorably sheepish (sheepishly adorable?) that he wanted to give her some reassurance. Why he would do such a thing was _not_ something he wanted to analyze too closely.

"Don't worry, Hoshi," Trip grinned as he slid a teasing glance the major's way. He didn't miss the slight softening in the major's eyes. "Matt don't mind."

"Nevertheless…"

"It's alright, ma'am," Hayes finally managed to vocalize, deciding that he rather liked the hard biscuits as opposed to the horrible Star Fleet rations. That lamb stew and kiwi ration left a distressing taste in his mouth. How Sanchez could happily wolf three of those things down was beyond him; shockingly they were worse than the military ones, at least those all tasted the same… like tree bark. "No harm, no foul."

She raised a brow at him. "If that's supposed to comfort me Major Hayes, you need to take a lot more classes in communications."

Matt offered her a rare smile. "I'm a soldier, ma'am; I deal with combat not rhetoric. That's your department."

Because he smiled, she returned it. "You've got a great smile, Major. You really ought to do it more often," she advised him sincerely and without any ulterior motive.

For a moment, Hayes was uncertain whether the ensign was on drugs again or if she was merely flirting with him. But Hoshi had already turned away to speak with Lt. Reed about the capacity of the energy cell. Bemused and a little thrown off center, Matt blinked to readjust himself back to reality.

Trip leaned closer to the other man, a sympathetic tilt to his head. He had seen this more times than he could count over the years that he'd known sweet little Hoshi. "Relax, she's simply like that sometimes. Drives a man crazy but that's what makes her so special." Trip had also noticed that Hoshi had a habit of observing other things simply to get her mind off of what was really bothering her.

Given that the commander knew her much longer and at a more intimate level, Matt accepted it without thought. "I thought it's because she speaks fifty plus languages and can curse at you in Klingon."

"That too," Trip acknowledged with a grin.

"I think I've found what you're going to need," Hoshi was explaining to Lt. Reed as Hayes and Tucker tuned back from their conversational detour and into the discussion at hand. She had attempted to sleep as the Commander had ordered her to earlier but after half an hour of feeling the walls close in, her mind wandered through all kinds of unpleasant thoughts and she decided to do something else. And as usual, her work came to her rescue. But even work didn't distract her from the cold that seemed to have permeated her bones. She was bent over the PADD in her lap, wrapping her arms around her elbow and trying to keep from shivering.

"And what would that be?" Reed asked with a frown.

"You cold, darling?" Trip asked unnecessarily at the same time.

"A bit," she grumbled to the commander before handing the PADD to Reed. "I think I've figured out where the base of operation for the Reptilians is."

"Where?"

"How?"

"Here, let's keep you warm."

"I'm fine," Hoshi answered to the last comment made and batted a hand away. "I'm just a little cold. Women have bad circulation."

"Who told you that?" Hayes wanted to know.

"My mother," Hoshi replied with certainty.

Matt nodded his head in perfect understanding. One learned early in life never to doubt a mother… especially one's own. "Then you definitely need to stay warm," he reached over and pulled his cloak from where he had laid it over his pack. "Take mine."

"No." There was sharpness in Hoshi's usually gentle voice, not used since she left the academia world, which made Major Hayes react instinctively to a command. "I'm fine."

Tucker's hand reached out and pulled Hayes's back with a quick shake of his head. There was a real warning in Trip's eyes when they met Matt's. He's seen Hoshi get that mulish look. For such a petite little thing, Hoshi Sato was a force to be reckoned with on the best of circumstances. And added to her advantage was the fact that she was well liked among the crew, half of whom would be conspirators should she choose to dole out punishment. This would not end well for the major.

"Tell me about this theory of yours," Malcolm said as he gave Major Hayes a sympathetic look. Hayes wasn't the first and probably won't be the last person to attempt to protect the delicate linguist; Malcolm could certainly understand that feeling when looking at the girl's fragile features. Of course, he didn't have the orders of the captain to make sure the ensign stayed safe.

Hoshi was silent for a moment, too many thoughts making their way through her mind; and too many of those thoughts centered on her inability to stay on top of things. _"Focus Hoshi, just keep focusing on the target and you can get through this."_ Nodding to herself, she took a deep breath to calm her thumping heart. "The Reptilians are going to be there," pointing at the little blue mark she had digitally made on the map. Malcolm opened his mouth to ask the next question but she beat it him to it. "The red marks are volcanoes that Miran told me about. They are still active. That particular generator is the closet point to the volcano, which means it's the warmest area in this labyrinth."

"What's that gotta do with anything?" Trip asked confused as he leaned over to look at the map.

"They're Reptilians, Commander. Cold-blooded doesn't just describe their personalities."

The obviousness of it was so great that Trip gave a mighty groan and fell backwards in dismay.

-&-&-&-

"Got a moment, Doc?"

Phlox looked up from his cultures and smiled widely. "I always have a moment for my esteemed captain. How can I be of service?"

Jon paused uncomfortably as he moved about the doctor's menagerie. "You've been with us for some time now, right?"

"Three years."

"And you've been studying human interactions, right?"

"A very fascinating subject, if I may say so. Humans are quite complicated and a remarkably resilient species," he smiled as he watched the captain pace, hardly paying attention. "Is something bothering you, Captain?"

Fiddling with the latch on Phlox's bat's cage, Archer made an uncomfortable gesture. "It doesn't leave this room, right?"

"But of course," Phlox said cheerfully.

Whirling on one heel, "How do I deal with all this… this anger without alienating the rest of my crew?"

Phlox's startling blue eyes blinked. "I was not under the impression that you had, Captain."

Archer made a face and sighed. "You didn't see Hoshi yesterday."

A grin spread onto the good doctor's face. "I believe Ensign Sato is a great admirer of yours."

"She's terrified of me."

"Well…" he replied, cocking his head to one side. "That is certainly news to me."

Annoyed by the way the doctor wasn't taking him seriously, Archer began to pace in a larger circle around the room. "Phlox, you didn't see the way she jumped when I looked at her."

The doctor nodded his head slowly. "Yes, the ensign has a healthy respect for you, as she should for the captain of the ship."

"No, she's scared of me," Jon corrected with disgust. "No member of my crew should be afraid to approach me when they have a problem or a concern. It's not my job to make unreasonable demands or scare someone so bad they cannot tell me that they're drowning in their work. That's not how I want to run my ship." His voice had reached an angry pitch that agitated the creatures around them. And for a few moments, the screeching noises of his pets was all that occupied the doctor's mind.

Setting a hand on his eel tank, Phlox regarded his captain with a concerned look that, for a brief moment, reminded Jon of Prothos when the beagle was attempting to be sympathetic. "You appear tense, Captain."

_"This was such a bad idea,"_ Jon thought as he shook his head. With a sigh, he moved to the door.

"For your information, Captain," Phlox offered, "Ensign Sato does _not_ fear you. She fears failure."

That stopped Archer in his tracks. "What are you talking about? Hoshi hasn't failed at anything she's done."

"I did not say she did," Phlox said with a smile. "I merely said that she was in fear of doing so."

"Of failing?"

Phlox looked at him curiously. "Are _you_ not?"

There was a heavy pause. "Yes."

"And?" the good doctor prompted helpfully.

Jonathan Archer's lips pressed into a grim line. "I've been coping with all the fears by pushing forward with this mission, maybe a little too zealously?"

"For which your crew is grateful," Phlox added helpfully. "Ensign Sato does not fear _you_," he continued, pulling the captain's attention back to his first line of thought. "She admires you for your focus and attention on what needs to be done, even if it means you roar when you're angered." Grinning, he dropped a piece of something purple and shiny into a cage of shrieking bird-like animals.

The captain frowned. "I'm not sure if I was just complimented or reprimanded."

Phlox chuckled. "The crew understands the amount of stress you face, they do not take offense to your sternness at times. On the contrary, they find it rather comforting that their captain is doing all he can for his people. However, a little reassurance and praise from their captain would not hurt."

Nodding his head, Archer smiled. "Thanks Doc."

"Always at your service, Captain."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser from Next Chapter: Trip scuffed. "They're going to talk worse if I ask Malcolm to keep me warm tonight. It's freezing in here."


	8. Residual Effects

**Between A Rock and…**** Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** All characters are owned by Paramount and blah, blah, blah…

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary:** Trip tries to get Hoshi to sleep. A discussion takes place with unnerving results. And Hayes deals with Hoshi's nightmare.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Just saw Steven Culp on "Desperate Housewives" this week. He was fantastic as usual. I really wish they could find a way to bring him back to Enterprise, I loved Major Hayes.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Eight – Residual Effects**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Trip Tucker blinked the sleep from his eyes as he watched Hoshi bend over her PADD, mapping out their route tomorrow. It was going to be a dangerous and rather complicated path, bypassing some larger gathering holes that may house some natives and even Reptilians, which left them winding their way down the tunnels toward the outer edges of this subterranean warren. Hayes and Reed had left them some time ago to begin the night watch as the others sleep. Hoshi had insisted (actually it was more of a demand) on completing her task so they could move swiftly without all the stop-and-go they had to endure today.

"Hoshi, go to sleep."

"In a minute," was the same reply she'd given him for the last twenty minutes.

"Hoshi…"

"In. A. Minute." She glared at him and then went back to work. For such a tiny little thing, she was scary at times.

With a sigh of resignation, Trip adjusted the cloak around his shoulders and leaned back on the rocks to wait her out. He would love to sleep but was unwilling to do so until she did. Hoshi was surprisingly alert at the moment. Apparently something in her thinking process gave her more energy than common sense. "Are you going to sleep anytime tonight?"

"What is with you and this whole sleep thing?" Hoshi asked, annoyed at being interrupted again. It was taking most of her concentration just to see straight. The cold, the headache, the fear, the need to jump up and start screaming like a madwoman were all beginning to collapse in on her. What she would give for a ray of sunshine and her bunny slippers.

"'Cause you look like you could use some of it." He pulled the PADD from her hand in an unceremonious gesture and tossed it into his bag, giving her a singularly stern look when she attempted to take it back. "Go to sleep, Hoshi Sato, or I'm telling the captain on you."

He said it in such a 'ha, I got you' tone that she stared for one disbelieving moment before her lips twitched. "Why are you so concerned about whether or not I sleep?"

"'Cause ah don't plan on carrying you when you're too tired to walk tomorrow." He reached over and pulled her close, cushioning her fall with his arm. Arranging her cloak around her like a blanket, Trip smoothed out a few flyaway hairs from where they had tumbled around her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. "Now sleep," he ordered, patting her lightly on the shoulder.

Wiggling closer, Hoshi gratefully accepted the warmth of his body to ward off the chill. "Am I sleeping with you tonight?" she asked impishly, unable to resist.

"Yep, and keeping me warm." He settled back the best he could with his lumpy pack against the base of his spine. It was going to be an uncomfortable night. "Now simmer down and go to sleep."

"You know someone's going to start a rumor over this," she told him with a grin and wonder briefly what a certain sub-commander would say about it. Contrary to what T'Pol would believe, the rest of the ship did know about her preference toward the charming chief engineer.

Trip made a dismissive noise. "They're going to talk worse if I ask Malcolm to keep me warm tonight. It's freezing in here."

Hoshi turned her head into Trip's side to muffle her laughter.

-&-&-&-

"Are they very close?" Major Hayes asked quietly, listening above the snoring of Jamison and DeMarco. When they got back to the ship, he was going to have to talk to those two about fixing that audio problem. The enemy could probably hear them from a mile away.

"Who?" Lt. Reed asked, his eyes never leaving his side of the exit.

"Commander Tucker and Ensign Sato."

"What are you…" Confusion clouded the Englishman's face until he glanced over to see the two snuggled together. Something tugged uncomfortably at him for a moment and he looked away. "I do believe the commander has mentioned their friendship prior to their assignment on _Enterprise_."

"The captain mentioned that they were friends."

"Hoshi is friends to everyone and anyone," Reed replied with a sigh. "She's too trusting by far and not always wise about it either."

There was a note in the lieutenant's voice that caught Matt's attention. "Are we talking about that alien with the telepathy?"

For a moment, Malcolm considered not sharing but his relationship with Hayes had progressed somewhat since their rather physical 'discussion' and Malcolm found that he had a kindred spirit on board now – or at least someone that actually paid attention to security protocols of the ship. So his response was a solemn nod.

"Not one of our finer moments, was it?" Matt asked with a regretful smile and eyes that revealed his understanding.

"Not one of _my_ finer moments," Malcolm corrected with some annoyance. "You had nothing to do with it."

Matt shook his head slowly. "It was all over the ship." And it had been; everyone had been talking about the alien that made contact through Ensign Sato in a most unconventional way. Hayes had been deeply troubled by it upon further investigation – done quietly through the grapevine of course. "I should have said something when I had the chance." He smiled, remembering the commander's earlier comment. "Though how either one of us was going to dissuade Ensign Sato from making contact was beyond me."

Malcolm gave a reluctant chuckle. "She's a force to be contended with when she sets her mind to something."

"You like that though," Matt observed, "Her will power."

Malcolm paused, glancing over at the sleeping figure. She was something to look at…all soft, quiet and at peace. "I admire her a great deal."

"You're not the only one," Matt replied, not the least bit willing to elaborate upon that.

And, quite frankly, Malcolm wasn't sure he wanted the major to do so.

"But she's got some serious insecurities," Matt continued after a pause that was decidedly thick with irresolvable tensions. If either of them questioned the appropriateness of the conversation, neither one voiced it.

"I suppose I didn't help that any by doubting her when she said she was hearing things." Malcolm still kicked himself at times for not listening to her, for not talking her out of going to see Tarquin, for leaving her alone with that monster, for putting her in danger.

"It would have been difficult for anyone to believe," the major pointed out kindly. "Besides which, I've noticed the ensign is rather skittish at times."

"Hoshi is a lot stronger than you're giving her credit for."

"I know she is," Matt assured him with a nod. "Most of what this crew goes through would break a weaker soul."

Leaning back, the lieutenant studied the MACO commander for a moment. Matt Hayes wasn't usually such a difficult person to read, possibly because most of the time he was so focused upon his job there wasn't anything outside of it _to_ read. But Malcolm had plenty of experience in observing people. Like knowing when someone was a friend or foe. _"Oh bloody hell, so I allowed a bit of my own insecurities to cloud my judgment for a while_." He made a face remembering the dressing down from the captain. But he wasn't mistaken in the fact that Major Hayes was hiding something. "You appear awfully interested in Ensign Sato suddenly," he observed quietly.

"I take my job seriously," Matt answered, unwittingly glancing in the wrong direction.

Malcolm swallowed that uncomfortably. "Is that it?"

"Yes, sir," was the ready reply spoken more out of habit than thought.

Deciding not to call the major on the sudden reversion to titles, Malcolm continued to probe. "And if I were to inform you that it would appear otherwise?"

"Then I would have to inform _you_ that you are mistaken."

"Are you certain?" the lieutenant persisted, not really wanting an answer to the question simply because any given would not satisfy.

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes." Matt was letting his annoyance show now but the hesitation was still obvious.

Lapsing into silence, Malcolm decided that he didn't believe him.

And Hayes decided he didn't believe himself either.

-&-&-&-

_It was cold, frightfully so. _

_"Hoshi."___

_ She turned around._

_ "Hoshi."_

_ She turned again._

_ "I'm waiting."_

_ "Go away," she whispered to the near darkness of the unfamiliar place and time. "Just leave me alone," her lips moved but she wasn't sure her voice emitted sound. The air seemed to have turned icy…or perhaps it was simply her fears._

_ "You are alone. You are always alone. You will always be alone."_

_ "No, that's not true!" She took a breath, determined to calm her pounding her heart before it leapt from her throat. "I've got friends, I've got family. I am** not** alone."_

_ "Always alone."_

_ She pressed her fists to her ears, trying to drown out the voice that haunted her. _

_ "Come to me."_

_ "No."_

_ "Come to me."_

_ "No." Hoshi felt her voice breaking. _

_ "Come…"_

_ NO! _

Just managing to stifle the scream of terror, Hoshi bolted from where she had been resting against Cdr. Tucker, her elbow and knees ramming into flesh.

"What the…" but Trip didn't have time to finish the rest of his expletive of groggy surprise before a precisely placed knee left him gasping for air. Was it painful? Oh, most definitely.

"Get away!" she gasped out as she escaped through the entrance of the cave, right past the stupefied Hayes and Reed. "Just stay away from me!"

"Commander?" Reed asked as he made an unsuccessful attempt to grab the ensign's arm just as she disappeared around the corner. She moved like a fleeing rabbit.

Besides the fact that Matt suspected Hoshi was disorientated and frightened, she was also their only live map out of this maze. "Ensign!" Without thought, he grabbed his rifle and plunged into the darkness after her.

"Trip, are you alright?" Malcolm asked, even as he wished to hell he could run after Hoshi. He'd seen the look on her face, saw the stark terror there but Trip was doubled over in agony.

Trip gasped another breath, trying to find his voice even as he watched Major Hayes dash out after Hoshi. It took him two tries to make limited words. "Don't… happened… she's… nightmare."

Malcolm helped the commander to his feet, glancing at the empty entrance with growing concern. "Bloody hell, we'll never find her out there."

By the fourth turn around a dark corner, Matt was certain he was hopelessly lost. If he didn't find Ensign Sato, he wasn't getting out of these tunnels. Stopping for a moment, he relied on his other senses to guide him through the darkness. Hurried footsteps, soft gasps of breath, a hitch in the voice… He ignored the fact that they were diving deeper into the catacombs of these unfamiliar lands and rushed after the sound.

Blinded, cold and in fear for her sanity, Hoshi stumbled over the uneven path before her. _"Have to get away. I have to get away!"_ Beads of cold sweat rolled down her neck, sending a chill down her spine. A muffled scream erupted from Hoshi's lips as she was caught by the arm and whirled about at a speed that left her dizzy. Shoved roughly against the wall, she had half a second to orient herself before a callous hand clamped over her mouth, keeping any sound from emerging while another was pressed against her collarbone, pinning her into place on the off chance that she decided to bolt again.

"Ensign!" Hayes hissed the title as close to her face as he dared to come, hoping that the sharpness of his tone would cut through whatever it was she was experiencing. The dark made it impossible to see anything and he needed room to maneuver if the ensign suddenly remembered any of her self-defense lessons. "Get a grip, Sato; it's Major Hayes. "

Her hands came up to clamp themselves around Hayes' arm, her nails digging into the warm fabric. The voice, the same one that called out instructions to her with the tone that carried authority and experience, cut through the panic. She stopped struggling.

Carefully, Matt eased the pressure off her mouth, feeling her lips move against the palm of his hand. Afraid she might take a bite out of him, he didn't remove it completely. "Are you calm yet?"

She nodded her head slowly, knees weak with relief at a familiar voice. The timber was correct, the tone, the tempo, the slight Northern Philadelphia accent, they all belonged to Major Hayes, no disguising that. No one can pull a perfect guise, not even Tarquin.

Taking his hand off her mouth, Matt reached back and pulled a small light cell from his hip. Pointing it away from their faces, he flicked the safety valve with his thumb; illuminating the small area around them just enough to see her badly frightened face. He took his other hand off of her and she slid to the ground. Ignoring her for the moment, Hayes made an immediate evaluation of the area. Safety first, comfort last. Sight, sound and feel; nothing seemed to disturb the quiet of where they were.

When he was assured they weren't going to be attacked from the dark, Hayes crouched down next to the ensign, never giving the darkness his back. Studying her pale face in the limited light, he had to bite back the angry dress-down he would normally give one of his own. That was not going to help at all. At this very moment, Ensign Sato looked like a lost little girl. "Are you all right?"

There was a thundering in her throat that made it impossible for her to speak. Every hair on her body was on end, her nerves so close to breaking she could literally hear the strain. Her mind wandered over all the possibilities that were impossible and then back again. Her eyes darted around in the darkness… searching.

He didn't need to be a doctor, or a counselor, or even a friend to see what was happening to her. With one hand carefully on his weapon, he reached up with the other and took her chin, forcing her attention back to him. Her eyes were like endless pools of vulnerable softness. Matt didn't doubt that's what people saw in her, this wonderful softness that one craves to be close to. He cursed the man that had trapped this brilliant woman into a nightmare that obviously wouldn't cease haunting her.

"He's not here." Hayes gave her a tiny shake on the chin. "He's not here." He repeated the words carefully, watching each one sink in.

Hoshi's mom once told her that to see the truth you had to look at the eyes of the speaker. She watched those eyes, chocolate brown and resolved. Her heart calmed.

"He will _not_ get you," he told her. "Not while I'm around."

She wanted to believe him, really wanted to believe him. It would be so nice just to be able to rely on someone else again. "You can't protect me from where he goes."

"He's not going there again."

"You don't know that."

"I _do_ know that." He released her chin slowly, keeping his eyes on hers. "I know that Captain Archer will never allow him to hurt you again. And if that means we blow his compound to kingdom come, than that's what is going to happen if he even _thinks_ about touching you again, mental or otherwise."

She leaned closer and whispered her question. "How do _you_ know?"

He didn't lie. "Because that's what I would do."

For a moment, she simply sat there wondering what he was about. Major Hayes didn't even know her, why would he want to protect her… other than it being his job and all.

"What's one life compared to a planet full of people?" She was referring to Tarquin's request for her to stay with him in exchange for his continued help with the Xindis. Hoshi sometimes still wondered if she made the right choice. _"Wouldn't it have been worth it for more information on where and how to defeat the Xindis?" _

Baffled by the question that even he knew the answer to, he stared at her. Was she really that insecure and naïve? "It is a life. We don't trade one life for another, yours, mine, others… it is still life."

It made perfect sense… really it did. But Hoshi was having some trouble seeing it; and it hurt to think about it. Instead, she looked around her in the dark. "Are we lost?"

"Are we?" Hayes asked quietly, sensing that she was attempting to find her way back into reality.

She stared at the wall, noting small figures etched there. "No, I don't think so."

"Good," he replied, standing slowly and offering a hand to her. "Ensign Sato…"

"Hoshi," she corrected automatically as she edged slowly up the wall.

"Hoshi," he continued, saying the name carefully and reminding himself that proper decorum was a necessity so he'd better not get used to addressing her as such. But for now, she seemed to need the familiarity. "You said in your report that Tarquin's ability only limits him to…"

Her head snapped around. "You read my report?"

"I read all the reports," Matt answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh." Hoshi wasn't quite sure what to make of a man that paranoid… or dedicated, whichever side of the coin you looked at.

"Tarquin can't get you here, not mentally or physically. You have to know that."

"I do know that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She gave a quick laugh, finally feeling the embarrassment of the situation. She did not want him thinking that she was unreliable. "I'm sorry. I guess I was just dreaming that…"

But Hayes wasn't buying it. "This isn't the first time, is it?" he questioned softly, not really needing an answer. "You haven't been sleeping well at all."

"None of us have," she countered.

"But you especially," he pointed out, all the pieces of the puzzle that made up Hoshi Sato coming into place with soft clicks. "And after the whole Tarquin… you came back from that with more information but…" He remembered someone commenting on that fact that Sato didn't get any counseling afterwards because they were in such a hurry to advance their mission to stop the Xindis. _"What price did you have to pay for it?" _he couldn't help but wonder. "When was the last time you slept? And I mean r_eally_ slept."

She was quiet. "I'm okay."

"You're not." He wasn't going to put up with lies; not when it was important. "When, Hoshi? When did you last sleep without nightmares? Without being afraid?"

If she had the energy to hit him, she would have. If there was one thing she hated, it was being pushed. "I don't know how to get past this."

Matt wished to hell he could give her answers. "I don't either."

She wasn't expecting that; Mister Tough-Major admitting to a weakness. Hoshi laughed, it was a soft chuckle but it was still a laugh nevertheless. "Well, at least you're honest."

"I try to always be."

"Boy Scout?"

"Military household."

She smiled, imagining a sober little boy quietly coloring on a play table with his father watching on the side. It must have been nice growing up in a normal home. "This way," tilting her head toward the right.

"Are you all right?" He questioned after a long silence.

"Not really."

"But?"

"But I'll get there. And I'll deal with the nightmares."

"Would help if you talked to someone about it," he advised.

"You volunteering?" she asked only half mockingly.

A bit startled, Hayes faltered for a moment. "Well, I…"

"I'm teasing," she assured him as she took another turn with a quick glance at the wall.

"But if you need…"

She stopped and turned to look at him. "No offense, Major. But you're not exactly the comforting type when it comes to confessionals. And I highly doubt you have any idea what it feels like to be violated." And with that, she continued to lead the way back to camp.

Hayes felt as if he'd just been punched in the gut.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line from Next Chapter: "Yeah but you haven't actually seen them in their birthday suits. Imagining it is one thing, seeing it is another."


	9. Stubborn

**Between A Rock and…**** Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **Mayweather and Cutler have a discussion. The away team finds their cave. Coates and Sato tease one another. And Enterprise finds another problem.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** I sat there for a long time trying to decide if inappropriate humor is appropriate here. Then I thought some more of all the tension and serious of last season and decided that a little laughter really does help a lot. Plus, I kind of like writing the raunchy stuff… it makes fan fic writing so much more interesting.

**Spoiler**: I can't think of any of this chapter.

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

**Acknowledgement**: My dear readers, you may all thank Steph, my beta, for her excellent work. Without her, you'd all be going insane with all the mistakes I make when writing. Thanks a bunch Steph, you're wonderful.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Nine – Stubborn**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Mayweather, wait up," Liz Cutler caught up with the long legged helmsman after some mad scrambling down the hall. "Must you walk so fast?"

"I didn't realize I was doing it," Travis answered honestly as he smiled at the pretty scientist. He hated breakfast but had long been trained to eat it because that's what his mother said was the smart thing to do. He missed her… and her scolding. "What's up?"

"The captain's temper apparently," Liz replied with a significant look.

Travis winced. "Heard about Hoshi's little assignment, huh?"

"I think the man is purposely trying to see how far he can push her before she breaks," Cutler replied with a shake of her head. She was ever thankful that her contact with the captain was minimal. "Don't get me wrong, I love the girl and think the world of her, and I think that she's a lot stronger than she will ever allow anyone to see, but damn…"

"I'm sure the captain is just relying on her a little…"

"A little?" She gave him a look that asked, _"Are you nuts?"_

Conceding the point seemed more sensible. "Okay, he's relying on her _a lot _these days. But like the captain said, we haven't got a lot of time. And the others just aren't Hoshi's caliber. What is he supposed to do?"

"You're preaching to the choir here," Liz said irritated as they entered the nearly deserted mess. Coffee was always best before the crowd got in. "But Hoshi got herself into a bind here. If she doesn't help the others out, she's going to end up doing it anyways when the captain finds out there are mistakes. And we all know we cannot have mistakes." Liz's voice raised a notch in indignation on her friend's behalf. "And if she does help the others, as she's been doing so far, she gets her ass chewed out for it. She's stuck between a rock and … another big rock. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. She can't _possibly_ win."

Pouring the bitter hot coffee, Travis opened his mouth to defend the captain but found that he couldn't. "I think the captain's got the idea now."

"Really?" Liz raised her eyebrows, disbelief heavy in her tone.

"Kind of hard to avoid when Don literally shoved the truth down the captain's throat." Travis had nearly fallen out of his seat during dinner when he heard from one of the MACOs on standby alert.

Liz grinned as she sat down. "Now that I would dearly love to see."

"Not me," Travis said with a shake of his head. "I heard the captain almost exploded right in the shuttle bay 'cause no one told him what was going on with Hoshi and the communication staff."

"Hell, I would have told if him if anyone could get close enough to him without fear of him drawing blood."

"He's not that bad," came the automatic response. This wasn't the first conversation Mayweather and Cutler had over the captain's recent change in attitude. "He's just stressed."

"Most people that are stressed work out in the gym and take a cold shower," she pointed out with a raised voice. "Most aren't allowed to take out their 'stress' on other people. He's the most powerful man on this ship; no one can gainsay him in any way. He of all people should be keeping a firm lid on his temper and not allowing his rank to cause problems. But instead, he's using it to work out his frustrations." Liz frowned. "You know what they say about powerful people with a temper."

"They're often unreasonable," Travis finished for her with a sigh. "But Captain Archer isn't like that."

"Didn't he just send a claustrophobic, exhausted ensign on an underground away mission? And this is after he found out she's literally had no sleep trying to keep up the work?"

"He didn't have a choice."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"_Really_?"

Mayweather gave her a light shove. "Yes."

"You know I have my doubts right?"

"Your sarcasm kind of gave that away."

Liz smiled at him, enjoying the young man's company. "Look, I don't doubt that Captain Archer is a good guy. But he's got to cut back on the caffeine."

"And Hoshi's got to learn not to take on so many burdens," Travis said with a look of understanding.

Liz groaned. "Could you tell her that? _PLEASE?_ I keep reminding her that she's only one person but she won't listen to me." The number of nights she'd spent lecturing Hoshi over endless bowls of ice cream and gallons of hot coffee she had long since lost track of. But it was no good; Hoshi was an overachiever that needed work to validate her worth on the ship.

"And you think she'll listen to me?" His face expressed his opinion on that thought. "She's a chronic workaholic. Hoshi will do as Hoshi wants. Woe to any idiot that tries to stop her."

"Does that include the captain?"

He thought about it… _really_ considered it carefully. "Yeah, it might."

-&-&-&-

The murky water glistened from the light units, its surface motionless in the still room. The only sounds were the shuffling feet of the MACO's as they checked the dark corners. The nearly three hour hike that included several unexpected drops in the tunnels and two caved in areas left them all the more cautious.

"That don't look too great," Trip murmured with a frown as he set down his backpack and looked around the cavern with concern. "You sure this is it, Hoshi?"

"I can't say a hundred percent but I'm ninety-nine point nine percent sure," Hoshi responded rather off handedly with her head bent over her glowing PADD. Little pictorials along their eventful hike had added details to the already established map.

"Oh, is that all?" he grinned and pulled his scanner out.

"Secure the cavern," Hayes and Reed ordered in unison. There was a moment of awkward silence before Reed shrugged and Hayes nodded and everyone scrambled to do what were supposed to and not look like they were amused by that little drama.

"Ensign Sato?" Romero tapped Hoshi lightly on the shoulder, trying not to startle her. "I found something written on the wall over here," he spoke quietly, gesturing with the butt of his rifle, "Maybe you want to take a look?"

Hurrying over, Hoshi dug out the flashlight in her pack and dropped the rest of her supplies on the ground. She stared for a moment, her eyes passing over several vertical writings in silence. Frowning, she turned to Sgt. Romero. "Can you hold this for me, shine it right there." With a quick wave of her hand, Hoshi indicated for him where she needed the extra light.

"Sure." Bracing his pulse rifle against his side, one thumb ready on the safety, he grabbed the flashlight from her with a smile. "Right there?"

"Right there, thanks." She returned the easy smile with one of her own and went to work. Her fingers tapped gently against her PADD, her eyes darting up every so often to do another reading. Turning, she scanned the room with a frown. "Hum…"

Across the room Sanchez reported in, "I'm not seeing anything, sir." The light from his scope finally shifted away from a corner that had held too much shadow for him not to double check.

"Neither am I, sir," Coates added, suppressing a shudder of chill. The room was worse than the one they had slept in the evening before. _"It must be only ten Celsius." _

"Jamison, you reading anything?" Tucker asked as he continued to scan the walls for any energy signatures once the ground had proven to be fruitless.

"Nada, sir," Jamison responded as he made a slow progress along the stone walls.

Hayes glanced around the room, "Let's secure the exits. Kemper, you and Romero take… Romero, what are you doing?"

Corp. Romero turned his head and looked over his shoulder without allowing the light to waver off its fixed location. The fierceness in his CO's eyes threw him. "I… I'm…"

"He's helping me with a light problem, Major," Hoshi answered calmly hearing the rattle in the Corporal's voice. As she turned, still studying her PADD, she looked around the narrow room with growing trepidation. "Commander Tucker?"

"Yeah, darling?"

"How big would you say this room is, sir?"

Frowning, Trip glanced around and took quick visual measurements. "I'd say 24 meters by 55 by 4. Why?"

"I was afraid of that." Hoshi muttered something in German and gazed out at the dark water, "According to what the corporal found, this room should be about three times that size."

"Ya gotta be kidding me!"

She shook her head regretfully.

The rest of the team looked out over the still water.

Reed closed his eyes and muttered, "I knew it was going to be in the bloody water." All they lacked know was enemy fire and this would be the makings of his greatest nightmare.

Stepping up to the water's edge, Trip held his scanner out as far as he could. "I'm barely getting a blip. You sure the UT is working right, Hosh?"

"I did it up here," she responded tapping her finger lightly against her temple.

Trip nodded, convinced, and turned to the rest of the team with a grin. "Well, boys and girls, looks like we're going swimming."

"Commander, hold a moment." Major Hayes shifted his weapon and watched the exit. "Romero, Kemper, watch our six," he called out urgently, watching as his men moved into position before turning back to the commander. "I believe it would be more efficient for one of us to go. We'll need you when we get the unit onto dry land."

"Ah swim like a duck," Trip informed him proudly.

"That's not the point, sir," Hayes replied, just barely smothering a grin. Cdr. Tucker looked like a child asking for praise with that gleeful grin on his face.

Reed cleared his throat and glanced at the water. "I think the major is pointing out the fact that you may want to reserve your energy for the work ahead and allow one of the others search of the unit."

"You mean, I ain't going to get a swim out of this?" Trip asked, mockingly pouting over not being able to get into the water.

"I believe it would be the wiser course of action," Hayes replied, finally giving into his amusement and chuckled. "Next time," he promised with indulgence as he set down his weapon and unzipped the top of his combat suit. "Sanchez, you dive right?"

"Every chance I get, sir," The younger man replied eagerly before setting his weapon aside to begin disrobing.

Hoshi leaned toward Katie. "Now that," she tilted her chin slightly as Major Hayes discarded his shirt and reached for his boots, "Is something half the girls on the ship would pay to watch."

Katie turned with wide eyes, "The major?" she mouthed, not daring to voice it.

Nodding her head, Hoshi gave her an 'Are you crazy?' look. "Oh yeah, just look at the man."

Resolutely turning her back on the men undressing, Coates shook her head frantically. "No freaking way! I have to work with these guys."

A muffled snort of exasperation erupted from Hoshi. "You didn't have any problems telling me to imagine Cdr. Tucker, or even the captain, naked when you knew perfectly well that I have to work with both of _them_ on a daily basis."

"Yeah but you haven't actually seen them in their birthday suits. Imagining it is one thing, seeing it is another."

"Well, the major isn't in his birthday suit," Hoshi pointed out, watching with great appreciation. There was nothing like a well built man to make a girl sigh.

"Close enough."

Hoshi's jaw dropped. "Close enough?" She wrinkled her nose. "You do know that I've been in decon with Cdr. Tucker and the captain before, right?"

"Really?" Katie was fully interested now. She'd only been in decon once and it was with McKenzie and two other female MACOs. There had been too many of them to go in all at once and she remembered having to strip down to the _bare_ minimum. "Now _that_ I would have…"

"Shut up," she interrupted at the mischievous grin on Katie's face. Then both girls gave into their hilarity and softly chuckled.

Trip glanced up from his search of a flashlight for Private Sanchez. The soft giggling had caught his attention. "What are you girls yammering about over there?"

"Nothing," came the immediate response in unison.

"Oh now that was convincing," Sanchez rolled his eyes and dropped his pants. The chilled air made him shiver. "It's cold."

"Be glad of it," Jamison advised under his breath. He would not be so comfortable undressing in front of two female colleagues.

Hayes hesitated for a moment, his hand on the snap of his pants. Taking off his shirt was one thing but his pants? _"I feel like damn stripper."_ Especially with Ensign Sato casually watching. "Oh hell."

"What's the matter?" Trip asked, testing the handheld light. The darkness that had pressed in on them when they entered the cavern didn't promise to get any better once the guys were underwater. But the last thing Trip wanted was to send Hayes and Sanchez into the water without being able to see what they were doing.

Unable to answer and _not_ feel like an ass, Hayes merely sighed.

Reed choked on his amusement. Hayes appeared to have acquired a nice shade of pink to his tanned skin. This trip was turning out to be more enjoyable than he would have expected. These delicious moments were to be savored; regardless of the fact that time wasn't their friend. Hayes would probably take a swing at him if Malcolm so much as cracked a smile at this point. "Hoshi?"

"Um?" She looked at the lieutenant absentmindedly.

"Would you like to turn around?"

She blinked at him. "Why would I want to do that?"

Coates laughed; she just couldn't help it.

"Not funny, Coates," Hayes growled and decided to get over his own embarrassment and complete this damn mission while he still had some of his sanity left.

Hoshi turned around fast. "Okay, not a picture I want to carry around with me for the rest of this trip," she muttered under her breath.

"Why?" Katie prompted, curious and almost tempted to turn around.

"Men shouldn't have pretty legs," she complained then made a face realizing that she's already seen too much. "It's not fair."

It was all Coates could do not to laugh out loud again.

"Sanchez, take the left, I'll take the right and we'll work our way into the middle. Don't go down again until you check in with me first, understood?"

"Yes, sir," Sanchez nodded his head, grabbed a flashlight and waded into the icy water. "Can't see much, can you?"

"Be careful down there," Hoshi called out, turning back with concern. "The flooding may have bought in the walls. You may be swimming among some of rocks that once were walls. I'm guessing the lake bed isn't going to be so comfortable if you scrape up against it."

"Dutifully warned, ma'am" Sanchez grinned at her, waved his flashlight and dipped under the water.

A little thrown, Hoshi asked Katie, "How old is he?"

Coates rolled her eyes. "Twenty-seven."

Hoshi eyed her with amusement. "I'm only twenty-six"

"Yes, but you have a maturity beyond a twelve year old," Katie replied with a grin. Sanchez's antics were becoming a running joke among the MACOs.

Hoshi grinned. "But I can scream like one."

There were four rounds of air in-take before Sanchez found it. Both men treaded water to collect themselves before heading off with Cdr. Tucker's scanner for a reading. For nearly five tense minutes, the rest of the away team waited with bated breath for the two divers to appear again. Sanchez broke surface first, his lungs noisily sucking in much needed oxygen. Hayes resurfaced two seconds later, a little smoother, taking deep breaths as he reoriented himself and swam for shore.

"What'd you boys see?" Tucker asked anxiously as Hayes finally stood in the more shallow area and fought back a great shudder.

Sanchez wasn't so brave. "Jeeze, it's freezing," He spoke through chattering teeth, shivering frantically as he clumsily rushed towards his pack and his great cloak. Kemper lowered his weapon and opened the encompassing garment for his friend.

"The unit is about six feet by six by about four, smooth surface and definitely functioning," Hayes reported as he slowly made his way inland, his eyes focused on Cdr. Tucker and Lt. Reed. Keeping his mind on the important things allowed him to forget the fact that his face had gone numb and every limb on his body felt ten pounds heavier, his shorts were plastered uncomfortably on him and there were two females in the room. "Best estimate: two hundred and fifty feet out and a little over thirty-five feet deep." He didn't add that it was going to be hell to get that thing out of the soft sand the unit appeared to be buried in. "Here," he finished, handing over the PADD.

"Major," Hoshi called out, holding Hayes' cloak out to him since the MACO CO seemed to have forgotten his own personal needs.

She was watching him with big curious eyes. Startled by her sudden presence, it took a moment for the major to recognize her intent. "Thank you." Matt sincerely hoped he wasn't blushing as he wiped droplets of water off his skin before gratefully taking the warm cloak from the ensign. He didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't really feel his feet any longer.

Malcolm frowned, his eyes glancing over the surface of the now calm water. "We don't exactly have a great number of choices."

"We only got one," Trip muttered rather disgruntled at the thought. "Good old fashion 'heave ho' with some strong ropes."

Matt had already come to the same conclusion given their lack of supplies. "Agreed." He looked to Lt. Reed. This was not at all what they had been prepared for when they came down to the planet again. But then again, the military trained you to prepare for the unexpected and work with what you've got.

Eyes closed with resignation, Malcolm nodded. He could not have imagined worse scenarios if he had enough energy to even try.

Turning, Cdr. Tucker called the rest of the team over, with Sgt. Kemper and Corp. Romero giving the group their back to watch their exit way. A quick explanation was given as to what they needed done and what has to happen. A quick plan was put together.

"We'll need brawn behind the ropes," Hayes studied his team. "No offense to anyone here. Coates, you and Jamison watch our sixes." He mentally reasoned that the engineer could make a decent lookout.

The two officers traded positions with Kemper and Romero without a murmur.

Lt. Reed looked apologetic as he turned to Hayes. "You'll have to go back down and get the ropes looped around the unit. And I'm afraid you'll also have to watch the progress. It's not going to do us any good if it's damaged during the transport."

Hayes nodded his head in agreement. "We'll also have to dig around the edges at least for the initial pull, to get the thing moving." He would have dearly loved to get some planks down as well. Dragging the storage cell through water and mud wasn't going to be a neat or easy process.

"Agreed."

"This would probably go a lot faster if we had at least one or two more people down there, moving dirt when it starts to pile in front. Anyone else got any diving experience?"

Everyone was silent… except for Sanchez who was groaning over the fact that he had to get back into the freezing water and immediately stopped when Major Hayes gave him a 'look.' (It could have also been Kemper's foot connecting with Sanchez's ankle.)

Hoshi hesitated for a moment. _"I'm probably going to regret this."_ But given she hadn't done much since they arrived, she raised her hand. "I do." Looks like those summer dives with her parent off the coast of Hawaii were about to come in handy. _"Oh goody."_

Startled at this unexpected knowledge, Major Hayes couldn't _quite _shield his surprise but managed to compose himself quickly. A quick glance at Cdr. Tucker, whose eyes were closed with dread but who confirmed with a reluctant nod, made Matt's stomach drop. "Ensign, perhaps it would be better if you stayed up here."

"Why?" She asked, reaching behind her. The rasping sound of the zipper coming undone was loud in the silent room. The men immediately gave her their backs. Amused and exasperated, Hoshi quipped, "Relax boys, I'm not naked underneath."

That didn't quite have the same effect she had intended but only Sanchez was ungentlemanly enough to indicate his disappointment.

"Ensign," Hayes tried again, clearing his throat uncomfortably as soft rustling sounds reached his ears. "I thought perhaps… perhaps you would be more helpful… useful… you would be more comfortable… er…" He usually didn't have such trouble speaking. Of course, he'd never found himself in this situation either. Exasperated with himself, Matt looked to Cdr. Tucker for help.

Trip wasn't even hiding the fact that he was silently laughing his ass off. "Hoshi, I think what the major is trying to say but ain't getting out is the fact that ya might was to rest up while ya still can. I ain't going to be able to read whatever is on the power unit, we're gonna to need you the whole way."

"Putting our resources where they will do the most good," Lt. Reed concluded resisting the need to roll his eyes. These problems that the captain's little request had resulted in were rather unpredicted. _"Bloody hell, we're being diplomatic."_

"Well, you guys can stop worrying." Hoshi's sudden appearance by their sides made the three men twitch in reaction. None of them could quite stop themselves from looking. Fortunately for the men, and Hoshi, the Star Fleet standard undergarments covered a great deal. "I swim like a fish and I only need my eyes to do the translations." She gave them a bright smile before taking the flashlight Sgt. Coates offered to her. "So, are we going to do this or what?"

"Is she always this stubborn?" Hayes asked under his breath as he picked up ropes that the rest of his men had pulled out.

"Always," Trip confirmed with a look. "But look at it this way: at least we'll get this done faster."

Hoshi gave a howl of dismay as she stepped into the icy water and felt everything from her shin down go numb.

Matt closed his eyes and forced himself not to groan. "You were saying?"

Trip winced.

Wading his way over, Matt took the rope Hoshi had been given and undid the square knot she had created to loop around her arm. "This will come off if pressure is applied, especially with water as lubricant. I want you to follow Sanchez in, hand him the rope then head for the surface," Hayes instructed sternly as he tired the thick cord around Ensign Sato's waist. Tugging on the knot, "Putting it here will give you more balance."

"What about digging?" she asked absentmindedly, watching as his numb fingers created an intricate knot that wasn't likely to come off unless she pulled in a certain manner. She was duly impressed.

"Sanchez and I will handle that," he informed her, giving Sanchez a quick check before tying his own lead rope. "You just let the others know that we're ready."

"You telling me by the time I swim back to the surface, you'd have everything setup down there?" Hoshi gave him a look that told Hayes what she thought of that stupid idea.

"Ensign," he began.

Hoshi held up a hand and moved closer to him, annoyed that the water was dragging her feet. "Look," she whispered as softly as she could without losing the effect she wanted. "I know I was a basket case last night but give me a little credit, okay? I get the job done."

"I don't doubt that," Matt said firmly.

"Than don't treat me like I'm some sort of second classman. If I say I can do it, I can do it."

"I understand but…"

"And I'll bet you a months worth of desserts that I'm a better swimmer than you and Sanchez put together."

He raised a brow at her. She was bordering on insubordination. "Bet me?"

"Yeah," she said a little fiercely.

The spark in her eyes made her more alive than he'd seen in some time. A prickle of interest ignited. "You're on, Ensign."

"Prepare to lose your dessert, Major," she called out before diving into the water.

-&-&-&-

"What is it T'Pol?"

"The Reptilians have moved, Captain."

"What do you mean?" Archer demanded, crossing the bridge and dropping into his seat. "Show me."

The screen blinked out for a moment to be replaced by a closer view of the planet. The three Reptilian ships, once bunched to one side were now scattered around the planet. T'Pol waited a moment for the captain to absorb the scene. "I believe they are sentries."

"Guarding their pet project," Archer muttered darkly. "Great."

"Captain?" Mayweather's face reflected his concerns.

"Maintain our position, Ensign." Depending upon the point of view, Enterprise apparently arrived either at the best or worst possible time. "T'Pol, switch armory to three shift rotation. I want them ready at a moment's notice. We may have to bust our people off that planet at any given time."

"Can we warn them?" Travis asked.

"I'm open to suggestions."

There was silence.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line: Treading water, Matt took in the smug little smile on the ensign's face and silently cheered her while admitting defeat. He didn't like losing but damned if this isn't the most pleasurable lost he has ever tasted.


	10. Water, Water Everywhere

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **The away team ventures underwater and finds trouble. Archer talks Mayweather and gets reassurances from Cutler.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I suck at action sequences so you will all have to forgive me if this chapter is boring as far as visual action goes. I keep trying but I can't seem to do it!

**Acknowledgement:** Steph, you are the best beta I could ever ask for. Thank you for your diligence and wonderful support. Take a bow, you deserve it!

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Ten – Water, Water Everywhere**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Watching her hands cut through the water, Hoshi took a moment to assess her surroundings as she dove deeper into the cavern lake. It was dark, cold and slightly salty; and that was only the pleasant part about having to dive into the icy waters that housed the energy cell they needed. There was also freezing, dirty, shifting rocks and unexpected protrusions of hardened lava to look forward to. Overall, it was an experience Hoshi would have liked not to experience. But as swimming goes, it wasn't all that bad. The water was calm, no currents to fight and the depth easily defined—if you remembered to point the flashlight in the right direction. And she hadn't been lying when she said she swam like a fish. If Major Hayes had carefully studied her personnel files, he might have remembered that she was a champion swimmer back at the academy; one of her few accomplishments in the field.

Keeping half her attention focused on Sanchez's feet and the other half searching for any unexpected dangers, Hoshi felt slightly comforted by the almost familiar environment. The gentle resistance at her waist didn't hinder her at all, but actually helped to keep her focused on the task at hand and not wander off to explore the writings on the rock surfaces she passed.

Sanchez came to a stop so abruptly that Hoshi struggled for a moment, pin wheeling her arms in water, before momentum sent her crashing into the private's back. Hayes, aware of the distance shore and their object and how long it would take to get there, managed to prevent an underwater pile-up.

Taking precious seconds to glare, Hoshi proceeded to untie the knot around her waist one-handed as she studied the unit before her. Carrying the cell wouldn't be hard since it really wasn't all that big, it was getting it out of the water with its muddy bottom that was going to be the problem. She grabbed the ends of the ropes from Hayes and Sanchez and swam around the cell. For a firmer grasp Hoshi looped the thin cable carefully around catch-holds and avoided knobs that could break off under pressure. She handed the ends to Major Hayes to tie off before searching around the base of the cell.

Her fingers sank into the ground as she felt around the bottom of the storage unit. It was at least two knuckles deep. And she had been wrong, it wasn't mud, it was sand and water; just as difficult to deal with but less messy. The soft composition was going to make moving the unit difficult; it was more likely to sink then move if they were to shift it.

Sanchez got Sato's attention with a light tap on her arm. He pointed to his throat then upwards toward the surface then waited until her nod of understanding was given before heading off in search of much needed oxygen.

She went back to exploring the base of the unit.

Hayes finished the last knot, double checking its integrity when Sanchez gave his 'need air' signal. He was about to follow when the color blue appeared in his peripheral vision. Turning she was almost kicked in the face by Ensign Sato. Lungs now burning, Matt reached down and grabbed her arm pointing to the surface.

Hoshi nodded and resigned herself to the fact that Major Hayes wasn't leaving until she did. Kicking off using the unit as a springboard, they shot through the water toward oxygen. She surface much more gently than Sanchez and began counting, "Ein, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs..." in German.

Hayes broke through the surface gasping for air. He had been under a little too long for his body.

"You were six seconds behind, Major," Hoshi informed him as she backstroked toward shore.

Treading water, Matt took in the smug little smile on the ensign's face and silently cheered her while simultaneously admitting defeat. He didn't like losing but damned if this isn't the most pleasurable loss he has ever tasted.

"We about ready?" Tucker asked as he held open the cloak for Hoshi.

"We're going to need a little modification," Hoshi said through chattering teeth. The icy water was warm compared to the surface. "The bottom is all sand." She shook her head and wished she were warm enough to attempt squeezing some of the water from her hair, her scalp felt numb. "If we try to move it now, it'll only go deeper."

Reed nodded his head slowly. "We'll have to line its path with rocks, give it a surface to grab onto."

Hayes spat salty water and concurred. "It'll scrape the hell out of the bottom of the unit but at least we can get it moving that way."

"Sanchez and I can line the path," Hoshi volunteered with a sneeze. Without thinking, she rubbed the tip of her nose with her hand then grimaced when she sneezed again. "Oh, that hurt."

"Maybe you should stay up here, Hoshi," Trip said with some concern.

Malcolm couldn't agree more. Not only was Hoshi's exposed skin covered in goose bumps, but her lips were also unnaturally pale, her nose an unbecoming shade of pink and she seemed to be having some trouble controlling her chattering teeth. "I'm sure Major Hayes and Private Sanchez could…"

Shaking her head because she was clenching her teeth tightly together, Hohsi took a moment to control the involuntary spasms. "I'm fine. Besides, it'll go faster if we all work on it." Taking a breath, she dropped her cloak and started back into the water. "Let's get this over with."

Sanchez made pathetically few groans as he followed Sato back into the water, muttering about packing swimsuits next time. Coates rolled her eyes and told him to "suck it up."

"Commander?" Hayes checked the cables. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure." Trip tugged firmly on the rope, testing it, his grip and how much he was going to have to dig his heels in. The shifting sand underfoot didn't bode well. "What's up?"

"How strong of a swimmer if Ensign Sato?"

"Can't say," Trip replied absentmindedly. "Never seen her dive or swim much; did hear a rumor that Hoshi-girl did the channel swim though."

"Channel? As in the English Channel?"

Tucker shrugged and looped the cable firmly around his waist, making sure to line it along his belt to keep from chafing his skin. "Ah guess."

Hayes gave a silent sigh of resignation. Contrary to what his crew may say, Matt enjoyed the simple pleasures of life. He liked sweets; one of the few pleasures he allowed himself though all the trainings, battles and long nights in the dark that marked his military career. He savored his desserts, looking forward to them every night. Anything from a simple chocolate chip cookie to a full quarter of Chef's famous pecan pie. He was _really_ going to miss them.

-&-&-&-

"Any clues?"

"Not even a one." Mayweather stared at his lunch and made a face. Chef must be in a lousy mood, mac and cheese with potato salad was not one of the temperamental chef's favorite meals. "Alpha shift spent most of their time tracking movement from the Reptilian ships; nothing much to see though, looks like they're just hovering over the planet with occasional planetary scans."

"What did the captain say?" Cutler scooped up pudding with distaste. "How come Chef only makes lousy desserts when Hoshi's not around to suffer through them?"

"'Cause Chef plays favorites," Travis answered easily and without grudge.

"Figures," Liz muttered and continued eating. "So, the captain?" she prompted gesturing with her spoon.

"What about me?" Archer asked mildly as he sat his tray down next to his helmsman with a tired sigh. When the two crewmen jumped to their feet, he made a disagreeable face and waved them down. "At ease guys," he gave them an easy smile. "I thought only the MACO's do that."

Cutler shifted nervously as she retook her seat and watched the captain for a moment, wondering how much of her conversation with Mayweather he had overheard. "Is there something we can do for you, sir?"

"No, not really," the captain replied with a sigh as he scooped up cheesy mac with deep concentration. He hadn't slept well and it was beginning to show. "It's been too long since I've eaten in here and I thought it would be nice to find out what is going on outside my sphere of existence." Plus, it was time he tried to figure out what he could do to fix the relations he'd managed to royally screw up.

"Sir?" Mayweather looked questioningly at Archer.

Sighing, he asked without preamble. "Have I been too harsh?" There… nothing quite like blunt honesty to generate some answers.

Travis shot Cutler a panicky look.

Cutler cringed.

Judging the silent exchange correctly, Archer sighed. "I'm going to take that as a categorical 'yes.'" It was difficult to have one's fears confirmed.

Scrambling for some kind of retreat, Cutler cleared her throat and thought frantically. "Sir, it's not that… We do understand that…er… It's just… um…" she prayed for a hole to open up in space so she could crawl into it and quietly die. _"Where's Hoshi when you need her?"_

"You're friends with Ensign Sato, correct?" Archer asked Cutler as if reading her thoughts.

Startled, Liz could only nod mutely. _"My career is so over."_

"How is she?" Archer asked Cutler but address both ensigns knowing Hoshi and Travis' closeness.

Liz looked to Travis for help. _"To lie or not to lie, that is the thirty-million dollar question."_

Observant eyes watched the agonizing question being debated in silence between the two and decided to spare them. "Don't bother," Archer supplied with a grim smile, "I got it."

Mayweather sighed with resignation and prepared to put his head in the lion's mouth. "Captain, we all realize that time is a pressure and…"

"Don't excuse my behavior," Archer interrupted, patting the young helmsman's arms with gratitude for trying. "Yelling at your crew is _not_ the proper way to handle stress. That's not what they teach you at the academy."

"With all due respect," Liz couldn't stop herself from putting in, "They didn't teach us about having to stop an unknown enemy from destroying Earth either. We're explorers, not warriors. This was never part of the initial mission plan. We're all coping the best we can, dealing with it as per our habits; you just happen to have a bad one." Archer responded to that with raised brows. It took her a moment to realize that she'd just spoken to the captain in a rather disrespectful manner. "Sir."

The edge of his lips curled up. He was nothing if not appreciative of honesty. _"Something I'm going to have to talk to Hoshi about."_ Archer nodded his head. "No, you're right. Yelling isn't the way. But you still haven't told me how Hoshi is?" He hoped by evoking Ensign Sato's given name, he could dig out the truth about her.

Cutler nodded to Mayweather. "She's stressed sir."

Travis nodded his head in agreed. "Overworked."

"Not sleeping."

"Exhausted."

"She's cries a lot."

"She does thirty-hour shifts sometimes."

"Sometimes she thinks she can't get the job done."

"Other times she works herself so hard she literally drops."

"Then there are times when she loses her temper and yells at the rest of the communication team for not doing their jobs."

Mayweather remembered some of those times only too well. "Then immediately regrets it and tries to make up for it by working twice as hard."

Archer set his fork now, losing all his appetite for the already unappetizing meal. Talking to the doctor had given him some insights as to what he's been doing to his people; but listening to Travis and Liz Cutler, he was finally getting the extent of the damage. "Is it like this for everyone?"

"No," Liz said quickly. "Hoshi is a unique case."

Travis nodded his agreement. "An extreme case, she's got the whole communication department on her shoulders. It's not easy."

"No, I don't suppose it is," the captain sighed and shook his head. _"And you didn't exactly make it any easier."_

"Of course," Liz added lightly, seeing probably for the first time how much this mission had aged the handsome young captain. It was obvious that he truly was concerned with the amount of sorrow he had unwittingly visited upon her friend. "I don't suppose it is easy having this whole mission on your shoulders either, sir."

He smiled, appreciative of her thoughtfulness. "No, it isn't."

-&-&-&-

Breaching the calm surface, Hoshi reached up and slicked water and hair out of her face. Though she hadn't signed up for this, well…not really, she was actually beginning to enjoy this assignment. It had been quite some time since she last swam and it was beginning to come back to her how much she'd always enjoyed the exercise. And for the first time in a while, she was beginning to relax a little.

"How are we doing?" Trip asked from the shoreline where the rest of the away team patiently awaited.

"Almost there, sir," Sanchez hollered back, taking in great gulps of air as he tread water. Glancing at her, "I'm thirsty," he told her making a face.

Hoshi grinned. "Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink."

Major Hayes looked around before glancing at his chronometer. They were making pretty good time. "Let's get some water and get this started." Swimming for shore, he glanced back only once to make sure the others followed.

"Any luck?" Reed asked handing out cloaks to the chilled swimmers, careful to avoid looking at Hoshi too long.

"We're ready," Hayes replied with a nod then had to shudder. His skin felt like ice. "I'm going to lend some muscles up here. Sanchez will to follow the unit to navigate the movements. Sato will keep ahead and watch the progressive path."

"You're going to trust me to swim ahead?" Sato asked the major innocently as she thanked Trip for the water.

"You're already going to take my dessert, Ensign; now you're going to make me apologize too?" Hayes asked with a raised brow as he rubbed his skin dry of moisture with the coarse material of his blanket.

She laughed softly, shivering in the cold air.

"You okay, darling?" Trip asked, watching with some concern at her colorless pallor. Her lips were rapidly turning a less then healthy shade of blue.

Hoshi nodded rather than answer, her teeth chattering too violently for her to do so gracefully.

"Let's get back in the water before we become ice sculptures," Sanchez said as he tossed his water bottle onto his pack and shrugged off the cloak. "Last one to the unit gets to check the ropes."

Hoshi rolled her eyes and dropped her blanket, ignoring the fact that she was half naked again and this time no one turned away. Grabbing her flashlight, she walked into the water. "Do you want a signal to begin?"

"If you please," Reed answered, tugging on the knot around his waist and nodded his thanks to the ensign.

"I'll pull on one of the ropes," she called over her shoulder and moved further away from Sanchez's splashing about. "Get ready." Her slender form dropped out of sight as she stepped off the underwater ridge.

"You all right there, Major?" Trip asked as he picked up the extra rope.

"It's pretty cold," Matt complained without _actually_ complaining. Yanking his pants on as fast as he could, he moved about rapidly to get his circulation moving faster. His feet felt like blocks of ice. "Prepare yourselves," he warned as he pulled socks on over sandy feet; he could deal with the discomfort but not the cold. "They should be getting to the unit pretty quickly."

Reed handed Hayes a ration bar. "They'll have to get into position first. We still have a little…" He glanced over as Romero gave a startled yelp and was yanked forward, nearly losing his footing.

Hayes almost grinned. "You were saying?"

Making a disagreeable noise that sounded much like a curse under his breath; Reed ignored the major and braced his feet, "On the count of three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

Sanchez flashed the light carefully on the reflective surface of the power unit, watching the blinking lights on the machine wink continuously at him. He mentally counted to three and slipped over the edge of the machine, positioning his body in the limited space between the metal and dirt. Now came the hard part.

Hoshi kicked her feet carefully to control her momentum as she watched Sanchez pass over the energy unit. She checked the spotted path they had created for the unit as she waited patiently for Sanchez to put himself carefully between the wall and the unit. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if it would be wiser for her to have taken Sanchez's position since she was smaller and more agile.

Giving Hoshi a thumbs-up signal, Sanchez positioned his palm against the metal edges and braced his back against the lightly packed wall.

With both her hands firmly gripping the nearest rope, Hoshi planted her feet in the sandy bottom and pulled as hard as she could, hoping the water resistance didn't negate the force. She held on to the cable until she felt it go taut in her hands. Turning back to Sanchez, she gave him the okay signal a second before she felt the first major tug.

Sand was sent adrift as the unit moved an inch, the angled rocks carefully lifting the edge of the machinery onto the roughened and elevated path. The progress was agonizingly slow (removed "an" and "one"), inch by inch. The unit was heavy, of that she was certain, and the water was going to make the job even more difficult. But with six people on the ropes that should be…

She heard the rumbling first; uncertain where it was coming from and what had caused it. Fumbling with her flashlight, which had been aimed carefully at the base of the energy cell, she looked up in time to see the slab of hardened lava slide from its crumbling home… right on top of Private Sanchez.

Self preservation kept Hoshi from opening her mouth and screaming the warning that she knew would come too late anyways. Scrambling over the unit and trying desperately to see through the lifted sand, she felt her heart pound loudly in her ears as she searched for Sanchez.

Wiggling around madly, Sanchez called himself three times the fool for not having paid more attention to his surrounding areas. He should have known there would be movement around him the moment they attempted to disturb the balance around the power unit. _"Idiot!" _If he got out of this alive, he was going to get hell from the major.

_"Oh god, oh god." _Hoshi came around, floating gently just above the slab that was pressing upon Sanchez, trapping him against the bottom. Grabbing the edge, she knew she wasn't going to budge it even as she strained to do so. _"Damn it!"_

Grabbing her waist, he shook his head at her. _"Thanks for trying anyways."_ He really wished he could have told her that.

_"Think Hoshi, think! You learned all this in survival training." _Fear made her mad and anger made her determined. Grabbing the edge of the rock, she pulled herself down and pressed her lips against his for a moment.

A little stunned, Sanchez thought, _"Well, this is kind of a nice way to die_," just before he felt the air pass from her lips to his. _"Wait, she's giving me oxygen!"_

When there was nothing left in her mouth and lungs, Hoshi pushed off using the energy cell as the spring board, then the side walls to propel herself toward the surface with little or no exertion on her part. It was just as well since she needed all her concentration to keep from opening her mouth and screaming at the burning pain in her lungs.

-&-&-&-

"STOP!" Hayes held up his hand.

"Whatya doing?" Trip asked, panting for breath.

Reed watched Hayes's creased brows for a moment. "Something wrong?" "Why aren't they coming up for air?" Hayes wanted to know as he stared out across the still water. "It's been too long even for Ho… Ensign Sato."

Distracted momentarily by Hayes use of Hoshi's given name, Cdr. Tucker had a belated reaction. "Damn!" Then without another word he tugged at the zipper of his suit to undress. "Malcolm, you and the rest stay up here. Hayes, you're come with…"

Hoshi let out a half scream as she sucked in air as fast as her lungs would allow, coughing and panting as she desperately tried to keep her head above water and not panic.

"Hoshi!" Ignoring that fact that he was going to be walking around in wet pants for the rest of the mission, Trip splashed into the water, ready to go after the ensign and pull her out of the water.

"Where's Sanchez?" Like the commander, Hayes wasn't thinking of later discomforts and had more important things to keep in mind. But as the water soaked his pant legs, he was aware enough to toss his shirt ashore before swimming out toward Ensign Sato.

Shaking her head violently, she attempted to tell them even as she silently counted the seconds that ticked away. "Wall…" she swallowed salt water that mage her gag. "Collapsed. Sanchez…" Swallowing hard, she forced her throat to stop contracting. "He's trapped." She gave them a final look before filling her lungs and disappearing under.

There was a moment of fear before training took over. Tucker grabbed Hayes arm before the MACO could disappear. "Tell Malcolm and follow us down." Taking a deep breath, Trip scrambled after Hoshi, who had the only flashlight between the three of them.

Too many years of following orders had Hayes swimming to shore before he realized that he was leaving the safety of one of his own to another. Relaying the message as discombobulated as Ensign Sato had, he dove blindly into the darkness trusting his instincts and recall to guide him.

Matt reached Sanchez just as Hoshi released her mouth from his, her long legs kicking the wall to speed her toward the surface even as Tucker worked the edge of the slab of stone that pinned the private to the ground. Unsure what had just happened, Hayes could only do what he could and shoved the questions to the back of his mind for later.

Reaching for the stone, Hayes grabbed it just as Tucker lost his grip upon it, his lungs unable to withstand the pressure any longer. Tapping Hayes on the arm, Trip pointed to his throat before swimming toward surface.

Hayes did a visual assessment of his down man as he attempted to shift the stone. Sanchez gave his commander an apologetic smile even as he wiggled about in the limited space Hayes had given him. After a moment, Sanchez shook his head in defeat.

They were going to need two people to lift the stone enough for Sanchez to attempt to get out.

Matt was running low on air when Hoshi returned again. Without so much as glancing at the major, she lowered herself over the flat stone as Sanchez lifted his face. To all the world they kissed; but it was obvious what was happening once one saw that Hoshi's body was quivering under the strain as she forced as much of the life-giving oxygen out of her reluctant lungs as she could. As she pulled away from Sanchez, Hoshi reached out and gripped Matt's arm, her eyes closed with pain.

With his arms around her waist, Matt mimicked her earlier exit routine and used the wall to help speed them toward the surface. Every passing second found Hoshi's fingernail digging deeper into muscles as she desperately tried to keep herself from taking a breath underwater. They reached surface just as Hoshi could not longer contained herself, sucking in water and air in the same breath.

"Hoshi!" Tucker swam over and patted the coughing ensign on the back as she shook violently. "Are you all right?"

Trying to nod her head, Hoshi took deeper breaths to calm the spasms in her lung as it attempted to fill her body with oxygen once more. Knowing every second counted, she focused on calming herself and allowed Major Hayes and Commander Tucker and keep her afloat. "What's the plan? I can't leave him down there without air too long."

"You get Sanchez," Hayes said close to her ear as he watched her for any sign of pain. What she did was not only dangerous but damn near fool-hearted, but it did buy them precious time that may not otherwise have. "Cdr. Tucker and I will get the rock. Give him half a breath," he said and shook her lightly as she took another bracing gulp of air, ready to continue. "_Only half,_ you got that?"

She nodded more firmly this time.

"Ready?" Tucker asked his face pale with concern.

She nodded again, annoyed that she had to.

"On three," Hayes said.

Cold, tired and at the end of her patience, Hoshi gave a shriek of frustration. "Onetwothree!" Then gulped air and dove.

A more agile swimmer, Hoshi reached Sanchez first and found him only half-conscious now but still holding on. Getting behind him, she tilted his head back and forced some invaluable oxygen into his mouth as Matt and Trip got into position. Without looking at her, the two CO's nodded in agreement and put all their strength into moving the slab of stone, lifting it the three inches needed for Hoshi to hook her elbows under Sanchez's arms and drag his body out from its prison. Bracing her feet, she pushed off the soft ground, dragging the dead weight of the private almost by sheer force of will.

Hayes and Tucker caught up with her halfway to the surface, after they carefully released the stone and made sure it couldn't do any more damage. Each taking an arm, they pulled Sanchez from Hoshi's grip and hurried toward the surface; everyone now in need of oxygen.

They broke surface as one, three gasping and coughing for air and one now completely unconscious and limp.

"Oh Christ!" Trip swam for shore using one arm to paddle since the other was firmly around Sanchez's torso. "Matt, get Hoshi."

Weak from the multiple oxygen-retrieving trips, Hoshi didn't protest when Hayes hooked one arm just over her breasts and moved them toward shore. She was just thankful that she didn't have to do any more swimming for a bit, her legs felt like wet, cold soba noodles.

"Oh man," Kemper splashed into the shallow area and took hold of Sanchez as Cdr. Tucker tripped his way to shore, his body shivering violently from the cold. "Jimmy? Jimmy, can you hear me?"

"Shit!" Romero struggled to untie the rope around his waist and help to drag his friend ashore. "Jimmy! Wake up man."

Hayes got Ensign Sato ashore, helping her get to her blankets before moving to Sanchez. "Is he breathing?"

Kemper moved his face lower, his ear pressed almost to his friend's nose. "I can't tell." A hint of fear was just sneaking past his training.

Not waiting, Hayes shoved Kemper aside. "Start CPR." Putting hand over fist, Hayes found the breast bone and moved his hands into position. "One, two, three."

When no one moved to the head, Hoshi dropped her blanket to tip Sanchez's head back and clear his airway with her finger. She lowered her mouth over his, careful to cover his whole mouth and forced air into his lungs in one long, even breath.

"One, two, three."

She blew air again.

"One, two, three."

And again.

"One, two, three."

And again.

"One, two, three."

And a…

Choking and sputtering, Sanchez was rolled onto his side by Major Hayes as he coughed up the water and sand in his lungs. For one very long minute, the whole away team seemed to let out a unanimous sigh of relief as Sanchez attempted to recover some dignity and focus.

"Jesus Jimmy, could you have scared us any worse?" Romero asked with a shake of his head.

"You are so going to pay for that heart attack you gave me," Kemper said with a soft chuckle.

"Glad to liven up your lives, guys," Sanchez replied weakly.

Hoshi let out a broken sigh of relief as she sat on her haunches, forgetting the fact that she was cold, numb and sitting there in nothing but her undergarments. Her hands wouldn't stop shaking from fear and her lungs were still protesting mightily over the abuse they just took. "Oh man. This was a lot more excitement than I wanted."

"Sato!" Sanchez reached out and cupped her face, kissing her soundly on the lips, glad to be alive. "You are an angel." His face was beaming with gratitude.

Letting out a weak laugh, Hoshi shot back, "And you're an idiot!" then immediately burst into tears.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line: Tucker grinned unabashedly. "Modesty's got no place when yah're up against practically. 'Sides, you ain't got anything we ain't got, and ah'm sure ladies will turn their backs; not that they'd mind a show or two." His grin only got wider as Hayes scowled at him. The man definitely needed to be teased more often; it was simply too much fun to watch. "So as Hoshi says, off with your pants."

Quick note: When I first learned CPR, I was taught to give three chest compressions and one breath. Later on, when I retook the course get certified, I was taught to give five chest compressions and three short breaths. To be completely honest, I never bothered to look it up to see what was the standard method use nowadays. My apologies if I've made a mistake. Thanks Steph for bring this to my attention.


	11. Little Revelations

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** (Hate these things.) I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, does that cover it all?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting for Xindis underground.

**Chapter Summary: **Archer asks for help and get it. Hayes, Tucker and Sato have a conversation that reveals a little more of themselves.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** I love Steven Culp. He is fantastic on "Desperate Housewives," totally cracks me up. As much as I miss him on "Enterprise" he is so much more fun where he is now. And on that note, I've decided to add more humor to his character Hayes because I adore the actor so much! Hope you guys don't mind.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery," (I'm being nicely cautious here) and the second or third episode of Season 1. (I don't think it matters at this point.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Eleven – Little Revelations **

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Tell me I have nothing to be concerned about," Archer stated as he marched onto the bridge.

T'Pol's finely sculptured brow raised a fraction of an inch. "I cannot make such an account, Captain. It is unlikely that we shall be leaving the system without some sort of contact with…"

Jonathan frowned lightly at his second-in-command. "T'Pol, you really need to learn about rhetorical statements. No answer was necessary or needed." He turned and stared at the screen, unable to keep the sigh from escaping his lips. "How many?"

"Two cruisers."

"Two," he repeated under his breath with some resignation. "On the one hand, I suppose we should be thankful and grateful that we found the right place since the Reptilians feel it necessary to protect it. On the other hand, I've got ten people on the planet that have no idea they're being surrounded by the enemy." There were moments on this mission when he wished to hell he had listened to his mother and became a geologist instead. Heck, at this point he was pretty certain his mother would have been happy with him pursuing his high school dream of becoming a famous water-polo player. "Second question of the day: why are they here?"

Of the many times T'Pol had considered the humans to be illogical, these were instances that stood out clearly in her mind. "It is safe to assume that they are here to reinforce their defenses."

"Thank you, T'Pol," Archer growled, obviously annoyed now. "Because otherwise, no third year cadet with any basic intelligence could have figured that one out."

T'Pol answered as she usually did, with a raised brow and a censuring look.

Under normal circumstances, Archer would have been much more patient with the Vulcan's misunderstandings of human communication. But today was not such a day. "Any sign of their detecting us?"

"None."

"Good, let's keep it that way," he frowned at the screen. "I want to know if and when they do. Also, put the second away team together and prepare them for launch. I want to be able to send a rescue team in if an opportunity presents itself to us, no matter how slim our chances are of getting such a window."

"Yes, captain."

"I'll be in armory if you need me," he told her before leaving, not bothering to wait for a reply or acknowledgement. His day was simply not going well at all. While lunch had been enlightening in a good way, the meeting with the communications team in the afternoon had the complete opposite effect. Not only did he not receive the kind of report he wanted without Hoshi watching the rest of the communications, he also had to deal with the fact that the rest of the department was now in fear for their lives. With the exception of Ensign Tanner, no one else could meet his eyes through the entire fifteen-minute interview he conducted with each individual. He was going to have to put Hoshi in a supervisory/reviewing position to save her work and time. _"Yeah, that's going to go over well with the older officers."_

He was also going to have to sit down with Hoshi and talk about her propensity to overload herself. It was simply going to have to stop, even if he had to order the doctor to issue a medical leave of absence and lock her in her quarters for a week.

Stepping into the armory, he took note that there were as many MACO officers there as Star Fleet ones. All eight of them came to attention the minute he stepped through the door. "At ease," he shook his head with some amusement and even more exasperation. The formality was just not his game.

"As you've all been informed," he watched their eyes carefully, noting the directness that each officer met his gaze, "The Reptilians have taken defensive positions around the planet. We've got ten crewmen and friends that are on that planet for the very the same reason these ships are now surrounding it and effectively cutting us off from our people. Normally, I'd have Cdr. Tucker, Lt. Reed and even Major Hayes at a table, strategizing their way out of this. But they're not here." Archer moved slowly about the room, watching their faces for reactions. He didn't getting any. They were all well trained and sure of themselves and their duty to the ship. "Instead, they're on the planet, insuring that the Reptilians aren't going to be using a weapon of mass destruction on us and those we were sent here to protect."

Several crewmen seemed to straighten in their stance; their sense of purpose solidified with the voiced danger that was suddenly very real to them. Their eyes tightened with determination and their faces set in firm resolve.

"I need ideas; I need a plan to get our people out with as little danger to our ship as possible." Archer looked around, at the faces of the men and women that protected his ship and everyone on it with zealous enthusiasm. "Can you do that?"

"Yes, sir!" the unanimous response was both overwhelming and humbling at the same time.

"Consider this your strategy session. I want a report of any viable options we have in two hours." He nodded his head and took his leave with the confidence that in two hours, they undoubtedly will have come up with a dozen scenarios to save their friends. _"After all, if the situation were reversed, they know the away team would do the same thing."_

Jonathan smiled for the first time in a several weeks, feeling his body relax for a moment. "It's nice having a good team."

-&-&-&-

"You know, you'd probably feel better if you took off your pants."

Major Hayes thought for a moment that he had heard incorrectly. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Take off your pants," Hoshi repeated a little louder this time.

The major blinked. "That's what I thought you said."

Ensign Sato frowned at him, annoyance clearly written on her face. "Then why'd you make me repeat it?" She knew she sounded like a sulking child but she didn't care. She was cold, hungry and, at the moment, quite naked under the cloak Sergeant Coates had kindly helped her into after she had shed and wrung out her very wet clothing. No matter how uncomfortable her nudity made her, Hoshi couldn't bring herself to put them back on. She really wished now that she hadn't used her robe to dry her hair. On the other hand, she didn't particularly want to sit around with hair that was retaining more water than her underwear had.

"Hoshi's right, Major," Commander Tucker interjected as he sat down next to her, offering water and inedible rations only to have Hoshi respond with an 'are you crazy?' face. He had doubled his cloak up and wrapped it tightly around his hips after shedding his wet pants. "You'll freeze your nuts off if you keep them on."

Laughter erupted from Hoshi's mouth; she just couldn't help it.

Matt wondered if he was blushing.

Tucker grinned unabashedly. "Modesty's got no place when yer' up against practically. 'Sides, you ain't got anything we ain't got, and ah'm sure ladies will turn their backs…not that they'd mind a show or two." His grin only grew wider as Hayes scowled at him. The man definitely needed to be teased more often; it was simply too much fun to watch. "So as Hoshi says, off with your pants."

If his face were the color of an over ripe tomato, Matt wouldn't be much surprised. "You are having too much fun at my expense, Commander." He grumbled some more as he imitated the commander the tucked the thick blanket around his hips before reaching under it. Ensign Sato's unwavering gaze stopped him. "Do you mind, Ensign?"

"Not at all," she said sweetly batting her eyes playfully at him.

Trip collapsed on the ground wheezing with laughter. He could always count on his Hoshi to back him up.

Hayes gave her something near a death-glare.

Nearly choking on her giggles, Hoshi hoped that the major's sense of humor was still in tact from their icy dunk and she wasn't in danger of being court-martialed for insubordination. Deciding not to tempt fate any further, she scooted around in her seat to face the power unit, giving the Major her back.

It had taken the rest of the away team less than an hour to resurrect the ancient unit, which turned out to be a lot lighter than expected needing only four people to carry it aground. That is, of course, after they rescued Sanchez from a watery grave. The three commanding officers had collectively agreed that Sanchez would keep watch, replacing Lt. Jamison at the cave entrance, and Tucker and Sato would do water scouting. Except for a stubbed toe when Sato attempted to help move the unit out of the water, there were no more unexpected incidents. Now they were all simply waiting for Tucker and Sato to get warm and rested enough to start working.

The writings on the unit were in a simplified form similar to the old religious scriptures that Hoshi had studied two days ago at an old crumbling temple. The curving lines were written vertically as opposed to the new horizontal writings utilized by the new religious sects that vied for dominance. A lot could be told about a culture by the way they wrote and the changes made throughout their history. It was quite fascinating really. Absentmindedly, Hoshi picked up a jagged rock and began the unenviable job of scratching translations on the eroding metal.

Ignoring the embarrassment of disrobing once again in front of Ensign Sato - even if her back was turned and he had a giant cloak around his hips - Matt wiggled a little to get the tight-fitting, wet garments off. Synthetic fibers rubbing against wet skin made the experience painful and tedious. When the pants and shorts finally dropped to the ground with a wet plop, he almost groaned with relief. Sitting down to rub some feelings back into his numb legs, Matt Hayes had to admit some relief after shedding the icy garment that was likely to - as Commander Tucker so delicately put it - freeze his nuts off. Just removing the sopping pants helped to alleviate the discomfort.

Unfortunately, Matt was also now half naked. _"Course, it could be worse; you could be completely naked…" _He winced as his thoughts drifted to where he had no business going. _ "Like Ensign Sato." _There was no stopping his eyes from turning in the wrong direction, made especially bad when Hoshi chose that moment to shrug off enough of her cloak to bare one shoulder, releasing her arm to work. That destroyed whatever reassurance (hmm…"self-control" maybe?) he had before.

"Major?" Sergeant Kemper offered a cup pf coffee with a slight frown as he witnessed the wince of pain. "Are you all right, sir?"

Clearing his throat, Matt nodded quickly and accepted the warm drink. "I'm fine. Thank you."

Kemper tilted his head and studied his CO for a moment. "Are you sure sir? You're looking a little flushed."

Hayes closed his eyes and prayed for his usual self-control. _"This couldn't possibly get any worse."_

He was wrong. Oh boy, was he wrong!

Tucker flopped himself down next to the major and grinned at Sergeant Kemper wickedly. "Wanna know what ah think?"

Kemper raised a brow in curiosity, not quite sure how he was supposed to response to the cheerfully teasing tone of a commanding officer; a manner that Hayes had never employed with them. When the major made noises that sounded rather distressful, he decided it was best to get all the facts and deal with the consequences later. So with the best of intentions, Kemper nodded.

Hayes was tempted to hit his subordinate upside the head. The commander's insuppressible humor did not need encouragement.

"Ah think the major here's having some not-so-boy-scout thoughts." Tucker's eyes were positively glowing with delight as color crept up Hayes' neck. "Just say so if ah'm getting it all wrong, Major."

Opening his mouth to do just that, Hayes could practically hear his mother. _"Matthew Edward Hayes, I didn't raise you to be a liar. Don't you even think about it!"_ There was something about mothers and their lessons (taught from diaper-age up) that could instill fear…even with a few thousand light years between himself and the indomitable woman. So with that firmly in his head, he kept silent.

Tucker snorted with amusement.

Kemper felt it wiser not to comment, though he was having some trouble keeping the smile off his face.

Because he lacked any other kind of defense, Hayes tried the oldest one in the book: change the subject. "Lt. Reed has already checked the energy output of the cell, we should have plenty to amplify the charges and bring down the entire area around the molecular de-stabilizer, seal off any chances of recovering any piece of the weapon."

Dismissing the sergeant with a nod of his head, Cdr. Tucker cleared his throat and decided that he'd plagued the major enough. Besides, the man could probably beat him to a pulp if he had half a chance. "Once Hoshi's got all those drawings figured out, we'll allocate the flow of power to…" Trip's eyes narrowed as he studied Hoshi's back. Something was not quite right. "Hoshi?"

Dropping her arm, Ensign Sato looked tiredly over her shoulder.

Trip just barely kept his jaw from dropping before he scrambled to his feet. He felt more than saw Hayes follow just behind him. "Jesus, Hoshi. Are you all right?"

Hoshi blinked. Her confusion was obvious in her droopy eyes.

"Hey, hey now, no sleeping when you're looking like death warmed over." Tucker tugged on the blanket, careful not to bare any more skin, and tucked her arms into it before wrapping it tightly around her. He wished there were more blankets to… Wait. "I'll be right back." He scrambled to his feet. "Keep her alert, Hayes; and see if you can warm her up."

Matt watched the commander go before turning back to the fragile china doll in front of him. It was easy to see what had alarmed the usually nonchalant commander. Ensign Sato was sporting a pallor that would frighten a mortician. Her lips were tinged with blue from lack of circulation and deep shadows encircled her dark exotic eyes. Her skin was dry, glass-like in its delicacy, looking like it would shatter into a million pieces if touched. He handed her the still-warm coffee in his hands. "Drink this."

She shifted in her tent-like covering for a moment.

"On second thought," he said quickly, one hand reaching out to keep the cloak tightly closed, "Why don't you let me help you?" He carefully lifted the cup to her mouth.

Hoshi dutifully took a sip of the bitter coffee and briefly wondered why anyone would want to drink it on a regular basis. "Where did you get that?"

Hayes glanced at the cup. She'd only taken a tiny sip of the warm beverage. "Kemper and Romero are sticklers for Java in the morning. They carry it around in thermal containers."

"Oh," she made a face and shrugged her shoulder in complete confusion as to why anyone would want to do such a thing. "Can I ask you a question, Major Hayes?"

Eyeing her cautiously, he nodded. "Go ahead."

"How many younger brothers and sisters do you have?"

Whatever he was expecting, that wasn't it. "Excuse me?"

"Younger siblings," she repeated before taking another sip when Hayes nudged the rim of the cup against her lips again.

_"There is just no understanding women,"_ Hayes decided then and there. "None, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" she made a disagreeable face. "Are you ever going to quit that?"

He smiled, amused by her show of offense. "It's a matter of protocol."

"Really?"

"That and to watch you get all huffy with indignation."

She stared wide-eyed at him.

Matt squirmed a little at her silence. "That was a joke, Ensign."

She continued to stare. "I know. I just couldn't believe you _made_ a joke."

Hayes had a feeling he'd either been made fun of again or just plain insulted. Shaking his head and deciding that he really ought not to play rhetoric games with a linguist, he went on to do what he does best: be useful. "Give me your feet."

Hoshi eyed him curiously. "Why?"

"I want to check your toes," he informed her and lifted the edge of the cloak as if to locate them himself.

Deciding that Major Hayes was just being a good guy - that and he looked pretty determined to find her feet - Hoshi unfolded her legs and rested her feet in his lap. "So, no brothers and sisters?"

"Oh, I've got plenty of brothers and sisters, just none of them are younger." He stared at the purple toes for a moment and thought she had painted the nails, but at second glance, that was not the case. "I was afraid of this." Cupping his hands over his mouth, he blew warm breath into his palms and rubbed them vigorously together.

"Afraid of what?" Hoshi asked, wiggling her toes to make sure they still functioned. They all moved accordingly.

Matt gave her an apologetic smile. "This is going to hurt."

"What is?" she managed to vocalize just before his warm hands closed over her bare icy toes. The contrast in temperature was so great it was painful. Letting out a shriek, she tried to pull her feet back but he had a firm grip on them. She whimpered as the initial shock wore off and Hayes proceeded to rub her right foot between his palms.

"Major, what are you doing to my Hoshi?" Trip dropped to his knees by Hoshi, draping two more blankets around her shoulders and another over her lap.

The possessive term took Hayes by surprise and he hesitated a moment before answering. "Getting circulation back in her feet, sir."

Hoshi let out a long painful breath and tried not to fall over. "I didn't know I lost it."

"First thing to be effected by frost bite is the feet, toes really." Hayes glanced at the blankets with curiosity as he rolled a toe with his fingers. "Where did you get those?"

Trip grinned. "Your men happily volunteered them."

Hayes glanced over. 'His men' were all grinning back at him like proud mischievous children. _"Oh, they are so dead."_

"Well, that was awfully nice of them." Hoshi said obliviously and tugged the blankets more securely around her.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure of that, Hosh," Trip took the cup that Matt had set down and made her drink some more. He was fully aware of what was being tossed about now among the MACO's, not that he could blame them for their curiosity. Heck, he was just a mite bit curious himself of what was going through the prim and proper Major's mind in regards to a certain you linguist. "How are you feeling?"

"Still cold," she admitted with a pathetic smile.

"Might be better if you get up and walk around," Hayes suggested, switching feet. "Even better if you put your clothes back on."

Hoshi agreed wholeheartedly.

"I'll get Coates to help you." Trip was up and gone before the other two could say a word.

Sato stared after the commander for a moment. "Well, that was weird."

Matt could only be thankful the commander didn't add anymore comments. _"Good grief, you're beginning to think like that man."_ Shaking his head, Matt continued to rub Ensign Sato's feet with more care. The little purple toes were turning slightly red now. _"Well, at least it's kind of working."_

"So, no younger ones at all?" Hoshi asked unexpectedly.

Hayes looked up, startled that they were back on that line of conversation again. "None. I have three elder brothers and two elder sisters though. Why?"

"So you're the youngest?"

"Yeah. Why?" he asked again.

She shrugged. "No reason. You just have that whole 'protect' thing down to an art form so I just figured you'd be the eldest in the family or something; kind of an instinctual thing. Never took you to be the baby though."

"I was kind of an unexpected addition to the family," he replied easily as his fingers slowly kneaded the bottom of her foot, relaxing the muscles there and forcing the blood to circulate through the pads of her feet.

"Really?"

Matt chuckled softly. "With five kids already, the last thing my parents needed was another. There's a six year difference between me and my youngest elder brother."

"'Youngest elder,'" she repeated with a frown. "There should be something wrong with the way that was structured but for the life of me I'm not sure what."

"Don't think so hard," he suggested and got to his feet as Cdr. Tucker and Sgt. Coates approached with Ensign Sato's survival pack. "Sergeant, I leave the ensign in your hands. Keep her warm and get her dressed. We'll discuss night rotations later."

"I'm standing right here," Hoshi grumbled as she got to her feet as well, offering the female MACO a quick smile. "Thanks for helping out Katie. I really appreciate it."

Katie smiled back easily. There was something horribly disarming about the young ensign that made everyone else around her forget to observe proper military conduct. "No problem, let's get you warm again."

"I don't think that's possible until we get back on the ship," Hoshi complained as they moved to one side, away from the guys.

Trip watched the two for a moment before turning to Major Hayes. The major was studiously examining the power unit and carefully avoiding looking anywhere near Hoshi's direction. Trip was having too much fun watching the poor guys fall into the same trap he'd seen before. "She's got you wrapped around her little pinky, don't she?"

Hayes didn't comment.

"Don't feel bad, she's got that 'protect me' look." Tucker sighed and stretched his muscles out. With the translations pretty much completed, the next step belonged to him and Malcolm. "Hey, do me a favor will ya?"

Matt looked up, his brows rose in inquiry.

"Hoshi's _got_ to sleep tonight. She ain't going to be much better than she was today if she don't get some real rest soon."

"I thought she did remarkably well today," Hayes interjected with a frown. In fact, Ensign Sato exceeded any expectations he may or may not have had in the back of his mind.

"I know that." Trip shook his head. "I ain't ever in doubt of Hoshi's talents. She's the best there is on this side of the universe."

"Oh…" Hoshi's voice was an unexpected addition as Tucker turned and found her not three feet away. "So you're the one that threw me to the wolves in Star Fleet uniforms."

Trip blinked at the unexpected reappearance. "How did you get dressed that fast?"

"I didn't. I forgot to get a comb," she replied then made an unpleasant face at him. "Did you know Captain Archer used that exact phrase the first time he came to Brazil to interview me? 'Best there is on this side of the universe,' I had wondered where he could have _possibly_ heard that from. I should have guessed it was you." Hoshi glared at him dangerously.

Holding his hands in a 'Who? Me?' gesture, Trip failed miserably at containing his grin. "I may have dropped your name in front of him a few… hundred times."

"Why would you do such a thing knowing me and my problems with enclosed spaces? It's a space ship; a tin can out in the vacuum of space. It doesn't get more enclosed than that!"

Hayes was tempted to point out their current situation but doing so would direct Hoshi's ire towards him. His survival instincts kicked in enough to keep his mouth shut. Besides, this was quite interesting… and he was most assuredly not above being curious as hell. Plus it was nice to see someone else on the squirming end of a conversation/confrontation with Hosh… Ensign Sato.

"Now Hoshi…"

"Don't you 'now Hoshi' me. I nearly lost my mind that first month."

"Now, that's just not true."

"Really?" She gave him a look that probably should have singed Tucker's brows. "Can I remind you of the dead-alien-on-a-hook incident?"

Trip winced remembering how badly she had been frightened by that unexpected encounter. Not exactly anyone's ideal first-encounter scenario. "May I remind you that you made the captain proud in that '_incident'_? Saved our collective asses from them angry aliens too."

"That's not that point," if she hadn't been naked, she would have thrown her hands up in exasperation. "You _set_ Jonathan Archer on me!"

"Only 'cause I knew Earth had run out of challenges for ya to deal with. The next logical step was something beyond our little pond. What better setting than Enterprise? You gotta admit; you've been exposed to some pretty darn interesting languages that ya never would have laid ears on if you hadn't taken the assignment." The brow-rising look the chief engineer gave her was smug and delighted; smug because he was right and delighted that he came up with it on such short notice.

"Did you know that Captain Archer lobbied my superiors at the University to get me to go?"

This was certainly new to him. "I had heard you turned him down."

"The minute I found out why he was really there."

"What did you think it was?"

"A position with Star Fleet to teach Vulcan."

"Jon told you that?"

"Yes."

"Wow..." he nodded his head. "He's good."

"Trip…"

"Oh come on Hosh." He gave her a stern look that was more brother than commander. "You were completely wasted at U of B. Anyone with half your working knowledge of Vulcan could have taught that class with their eyes closed. I didn't convince you to join Star Fleet to sit around and teach languages you already knew. I wanted you exposed to more… well, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind but still… You gotta admit, just these last two days has shown you more than you could ever find on earth. You were limiting yourself when there was no need to."

Hoshi stood there and watched him for a moment before she sighed with resignation. He was right; absolutely damn right. She had joined Star Fleet hoping for a chance to get out and learn more. She had been only nineteen at the time, having already mastered nearly thirty languages and frustrated at the fact that she simply couldn't find a Vulcan outside of Star Fleet willing to talk to her much less teach her. So she joined Star Fleet, picked up another six languages and hungered for more. This assignment on Enterprise had been a godsend; coming at the junction in her career where she was ready to just give into the inevitable and resign herself to the limitations of Earth.

"Come on Hoshi-girl," Trip nudged her with his elbow. "Tell me I was right."

She slanted him a glare, embarrassed when she caught Hayes' indulgent smile before feeling her humor rise to the occasion at how ridiculous this must all sound to the MACO commander. "Fine, fine, you horrible man. You were right."

Tucker's grin split his face and he gave her a one-arm hug. "Besides all that, I knew you'd rise to the occasion and a little claustrophobia wasn't going to stop you."

Hoshi rolled her eyes and went to get her comb.

Matt moved slightly over to his left and whispered the question that had been burning in his mind. "Did you really?"

"What?"

"Know she'd get over this fear of enclosed spaces?"

The commander had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. "Kind of."

"But you recommended her anyway?" There was no surprise in Hayes' tone or the look he gave the chief engineer.

Trip smiled softly as he watched Hoshi tug the comb ineffectively through her hair as she headed back to the corner she and Sgt. Coates had designated 'The Girl's Corner.' "I've known Hoshi since she was sixteen and knocking them over at the consulate. First time she spilled punch on my uniform and I thought she was some ambassador's little girl; imagine my surprise. Struck up a friendly conversation with her, wrote correspondences and had a couple of nice chats with her, even hooked her up with the Japanese delegates for the global warming talks in the Yucatan. I've got plenty of confidence in the girl. Just can't understand why she thinks so little of herself."

"We all have our hang-ups."

"True," Cdr. Tucker frowned thoughtfully. "But it's different with Hoshi. She's brilliant, anyone can see that. But she's never sure of herself, like someone's been telling her all her life that she just ain't good enough."

Matt's eyes went unerringly to the girl in question. "Why would anyone do that?"

Shaking his head, Trip sighed with frustration. "You got me."

-&-&-&-

"Alright," Captain Archer crossed his arms and leaned again against the phase cannon controls. "Let's hear it."

Second Lieutenant Jean Marie McKinsie spared a glance at her fellow MACO's then at the beta shift of Star Fleet Armory officers that had elected her the mouthpiece of the group, and steeled herself for what was to come. "Sir, we're not looking at an easy situation or very good odds. We're one to five with fire power on both sides armed for war. There is almost no chance for Enterprise to get out of this without damage."

They weren't telling Archer anything that he didn't already know. "Go on."

"That being said, we want to minimize the damage that can be caused by diluting the fire power."

"Yes?"

Taking the data pad from Corporal Chang, she handed it to the captain with bated breath. "We'd like to play a game of hide-and-go-seek with the Reptilians, sir."

Archer frowned as he stared down at the schematics in front of him. "What is that?"

McKinsie nodded to Lt. Howards, shift commander for the armory. The man took a breath before speaking. "The shuttles are equipped with homing beacons for emergency usage if a shuttle is lost. We have one shuttlecraft on the planet now but the Reptilians cannot locate it unless they are scanning for it. Thankfully, they aren't because they have no idea our people are down there. Let's divert their attention and give them another target to chase after. Something Star Fleet and something loaded."

The pieces came together.

"Loaded? As in a torpedo?"

Howard nodded his head slowly. "Modified to go off once the enemy is in range."

Archer considered it a moment from all angles. "I'd rather not sacrifice a shuttle, Trip really isn't going to like that, but if it's to save our people…"

"We're not going to." Lt. Omar spoke up before she could truly consider what she was doing. The captain's eyes turned immediately to her and she felt like swallowing her tongue. "I mean… sir."

Pushing away his annoyance at the lieutenant's hesitation, Archer gave his permission with a nod of his head.

Lt. Omar cursed her wayward tongue and looked to a scowling Howard for help. But it was too late, she made her bed and now she had to sleep in it.  
Taking a breath, she pushed forward with the explanation. "The plan is to load the shuttle with three torpedoes that are equipped with homing beacons and sensors. We take it out into space, launch them and set the homing devices. The Reptilians will pick up the signals and investigate. Once the sensors have them in range, they detonate. We cannot be completely sure of what the resulting explosion will do; damage or complete destruction."

Archer nodded, his face brightened at the plan. "But it should be enough to send the rest of the ships out to investigate the cause…"

"Yes sir."

Clasping his hands, Archer smiled at them. "I like it. It's worthy of Reed and Hayes." Straightening from his position, he nodded his consent. "Talk to engineering and get to it people. Good job. Your commander would be proud of you."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line: "I'm awake, I'm awake." Hoshi grumbled and rolled to her side to sit up. "How's anyone supposed to sleep with the two of you arguing back and forth is way beyond my reasoning?"


	12. Risky Business

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock **

By Didi

**Disclaimer:**  (Hate these things.)  I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story.  This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it.  Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice.  I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me.  There, does that cover it all? 

**Rating:**  PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:**  The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary:  **The Away Team built a bomb, the crew details their dangerous plans and Hayes gets a rude awakening. 

**Timeline:  **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3. 

**Author's Note:**  Is it bad that I get more enjoyment out of writing this than actually watching the show, even with the great Brent Spiner guest staring in the last two episodes?

**Spoiler**:  Everything up through "The Hatchery."  (I'm being nicely cautious here.) 

**Key:**  "Spoken"   _"Thoughts"  _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Twelve – Risky Business **

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

        "We don't know what we're…"

        "And I'm telling you that the weight of that damn thing is…"

        "What would be the point if we cannot utilize…"

        "We ain't going to be using the damn thing if we can't…"

        "Oh for heaven sakes!"  The exasperation was written clearly on the faces of both men.  Malcolm knew that if they continued to argue they would be at it all night.  "Why don't we just have Hoshi translate the last of symbols instead of doing guess work and be done with it?"

        "'Cause she's sleeping and ah ain't waking her."  That shut Lt. Reed up nicely as Cdr. Tucker's face set into a mulish expression that was going to be impossible to deal with.

        "I'm awake, I'm awake."  Hoshi grumbled and rolled to her side and sat up.  Her hair was an atrocious rat's nest from tossing and turning for the last hour listening to the loud whispers.  "How anyone is supposed to sleep with the two of you arguing back and forth is way beyond my reasoning!"

        The two superior officers had the grace to look sheepish as they saw that not one member of the away team was sleeping or even resting.  They were all too fascinated by the squabble between the armory officer and the chief engineer.  Even Romero and DeMarco, who were supposed to be keeping watch, were eyeing the men with interest. 

        Hoshi tucked the three cloaks she had on tightly around her, ignoring the fact that she was still chilled to the bone despite the extra covering, and waddled slowly over to the unit.  "What do you need?"

        Cdr. Tucker reached up and helped her sit down slowly, watching her drained face carefully.  "First thing we do when we get back is have the Chef stuff you 'till you burst, nothing but meat and potatoes for a month for you."

        "I'm not even going to comment on that," Hoshi told him and then landed on her butt.  With a sigh, she squared her shoulders.  "Okay, let me at this for a moment and then you can get back to your arguing."

        Trip leaned back and looked around Hoshi at Malcolm.  "You feeling like you've just been scolded?" 

        Malcolm grinned and said nothing, deciding it was probably a bad idea to aggravate the communications officer anymore than they already had.  Women could be quite frightening when they've not slept properly. 

        It was another ten minutes before Hoshi stopped the horrible scratching noises that were driving the rest of the away team insane and dropped the rock she had been using to write the translations.  "That's the last of it."

        "Thank god," Sanchez called out from halfway across the room. 

        "Remind me to bring a permanent marker next time," Jamison muttered as he knelt down beside the ensign and read the translations. 

        "I sincerely hope there will not be a 'next time.'"  Hoshi rolled her tense shoulders and scooted away from the unit while Cdr. Tucker and Lt. Reed both joined Jamison.  She had moved well beyond exhaustion now.  She felt like she could fall asleep right there sitting up. 

        "Good work, Hosh," Trip turned and grinned at her over his shoulder.  "Whoa," he grabbed her before she toppled over, her eyes already closed and her body refusing to cooperate any longer.  "Okay, time for you to get a nice visit from the sandman." 

        She murmured something nonsensical and allowed him to help her lay down.  But within moments, she was sitting back up again. 

        "Hoshi, you need to sleep," Trip said as he moved away from where Jamison and Reed were arguing over what to do with the unnecessary conduits that were likely to weigh them down and slow their progress.  He was going to give Jamison another two minutes to argue with Reed before he stepped in.  In the mean time, someone else needed him a little more.  "Lie down, get comfortable."

        "It's cold," she murmured softly, her eyes at half mast.  "It's warmer when I sit."

        "You can't sleep sitting up, Darling."

        "Yes I can.  Did it in school," she informed him, her eyes completely closed now. 

        Trip sighed, watched her head nod a few times and turned to Malcolm and Jamison, who were still arguing over the whether or not they should crack the casing open.  Sitting down between them, Trip faced the chief armory officer.  "Look Malcolm, I know you're concerned about whether or not we'll damage the unit if we open the casing, but we can't haul this whole thing around with us.  It'll slow us down and put us all in danger.  The conducts and power converters were for the villagers, and they used it to supply power to whatever.  We don't need it.  All we want is the raw power in the core.  If we strip away the extras, this thing can be held by one person so that's exactly what we'll be doing.  I'm sorry you don't like it but that's the bottom line.  We clear?" 

        There was a tense moment of silence as the two men studied each other carefully.  Lt. Jamison was tempted to take several steps back; but any movement now would be the wrong one. 

        Malcolm finally nodded and sighed.  "You're right. Let's get this started."

        Trip nodded his understanding and thanked his friend silently for not making this difficult.  "Jamison, can you handle this?"

        Surprised but primed, "Yes, sir."

        "Good." Trip got up slowly, ignoring the fact that both his knees cracked loudly in the silent chamber. 

        Lt. Reed frowned as Tucker walked away.  "Where are you going?"

        "I'm going to take a nap," Trip said over his shoulder.

-&-&-&-

        "No, no, no," Lt. Langley reached over and slapped Ensign Sandoval's hand.  "Are you _trying_ to break it?  You touch that again and I'm going to hack off your hand with a _really_ dull butter knife."

        "Butter knife?" Corporal Chang asked with a mild curiosity, he was only there for observation while the engineering team went over what was needed for 'Operation Hide and Go Seek.' 

        "It's dull, slow and painful," Jennifer Langley replied in a distracted manner as she looked over the plans again.  She really wished Beta Team hadn't gotten stuck with these plans; it was making her regret the promotion she got two weeks before to commander of engineering's Beta Shift.  Six hours now before Gamma Shift was scheduled to begin and she'd only begun to understand what needed to be accomplished.  "You boys in the armory sure didn't make this easy on us.  Scanners and homing beacons weren't _ever_ designed to interface with torpedoes." 

        "Can it be done?"

        "I've never tried anything like this."

        "But can it be done?"  Chang asked again. 

        Langley groaned and glanced at Sandoval, who nodded at her.  "I wish Cdr. Tucker were here, he'd know what to do with it.  And yeah, in theory, it can be done.  Though why we thought we would ever need to…" 

        "And that's why you guys get paid the big bucks to do this kind of thing," Chang replied with a grin, just a little too thankful that his parents never pushed him into Star Fleet.  It was almost worse than MACO training.     

        "Thanks," Langley said dryly as she picked up the homing beacon again.  "Okay, the beacon needs to go off once it's stationary, which means we'll have to set it on remote detonation."

        "Or a timer," Ensign Sandoval added eagerly. 

        "We need to be able to control the time ratios of each target."

        "And we need enough time to get out range from each beacon if we can't figure out how to get the sensors to differentiate between us and them.  We don't want our own people setting off the torpedoes by mistake."

        "Remote is still our best bet."

        "That's risky business.  The reptilians may be able to trace the remote signal."

        "How far are we looking to…"

        "Hey guys," Mayweather stepped up behind them and smiled. 

        "Hey ya flyboy," Langley offered him a smile worth a thousand watts.  She always had a thing for the happy helmsman.  "What are you doing in armory?"

        "I can ask you the same thing," Travis replied looking over as Howards and McKinsie came over with concern in their eyes.  "Captain said you guy need a pilot?"

        McKinsie nodded her head and traded a quick glance with Howards.  "We want to minimize damage to the shuttle and keep our plans in the dark before we're ready."  She handed Ensign Mayweather the PADD in her hand with great reluctance simply because she knew the reaction she was going to get.  After much debate with Howards and several officers in the science department, engineering and armory, it was the best they could come up with and that's not saying much.  "It's going to be a tricky run.  We want to use the surrounding planets and moons to hide our movement." 

        Travis made a face that conveyed his disbelief as he studied the elaborate and complicated course plans in front of him. Scrolling through the maps, he felt his stomach drop.   "You want me to play leap frog with the planetary gravity fields?  In a shuttle?" 

        "Don't forget moons too," Sandoval chirped in less-than-helpfully. 

        Langley sent an elbow into Sandoval's side. 

        Howards winced.  "Yeah, I know it's going to be difficult…"

        "Difficult," Travis repeated rather numbly.

        "Okay, it's going to be _really_ difficult."

        "It's going to be near impossible," Mayweather told them as he studied the plans again.  "There's a reason they tell us not to orbit with a shuttle, they aren't designed to handle the pull from the planet, you end up frying your engines if you try."

        "But field distortions would mask the shuttle's signature, which is the aim." McKinsie pointed out reasonably.  "Besides, we're not going to be orbiting.  We'll simply be skimming over the surfaces of the fields; a couple of seconds on half impulse." 

        It was true and it needed to be accomplished.  "Oh man," Travis shook his head.  He looked less than comfortable with the idea.

        Howards sympathized.  "The captain wouldn't have approved of this or sent you if you weren't the best…and that's exactly what we need right now." 

        Travis felt simultaneously blessed and cursed.  _"Now I know how Hoshi feels."_  Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly to steady himself, he faced the problem head on.  "Can we set up a simulation?  I want to run this through a couple of times before we face the real thing. No need to send us out there if I don't at least have some confidence that I can do this."

        McKinsie looked at Langley, who made a face. 

        Jennifer Langley cursed softly under her breath.  It always seemed that whenever Commander Tucker was off the ship, all the shit hit the fan.  "Get science to give you the readings from the scans and find Lt. Cdr. Meyer on Gamma Shift. He can set it up for you.  I've still got a scanner and a homing device to attach to the torpedoes." 

        Howards nodded and took off.  Time wasn't a friend and they needed this done yesterday.

        Langley sighed.  "This is going to be a really long night." 

-&-&-&-

        Malcolm stood over the two sleeping figures and forced himself not to sigh with some resignation.  He had spent the last two hours working on dismantling the power unit while occasionally glancing over to where Cdr. Tucker had carefully positioned himself against the rocks and pulled Ensign Sato into his arms.  The petite linguist had immediately burrowed closer to the warmth and made herself comfortable against her commanding officer in an attempt to achieve the rest her body so desperately craved.  It pained him to have to wake them both.

        But they were on a mission of grave importance, and he and Lt. Jamison were simply at their wit's end.  It was time for fresh eyes and some higher technical skills.

        Kneeling, Malcolm gripped Trip's shoulder and gave a small but firm shake.  "Commander."

        Trip groaned softly, his posterior and one arm terrifyingly numb.  For a moment, he forgot where he was and what the hell he was doing; but soft murmured protests from the warm bundle by his side brought reality crashing down around his complaining body.  Blinking rapidly, Trip tried to focus on the inquiring voice.

        "Commander, are you awake?"

        "I am _now_," Trip complained trying to get the circulation back into his body without disturbing Hoshi.  "What is it?"

        Giving the chief engineer an apologetic look, Malcolm jerked a thumb over his shoulders.  "That bloody contraption is a bit more complex than we had first expected.  Jamison and I have two connectors that we're simply unsure of.  It's a bit risky for us to attempt to disconnect it without being certain of the results.  I believe it's time to put some of your skills to the test."

        Nodding his understanding, Trip glanced down with some concern at the sleeping girl in his arms.  He made a face and looked at Malcolm.  "I don't suppose you can take some time to…"

        The armory officer shook his head.  "I need to get the remote trips prepared as soon as the last two connectors are off.  We can have the bomb put together by the time we need to move again."

        "Ain't you sleeping?"

        "No time," which was the absolute truth. "I'll sleep when we're back on the ship and safe once more."  Plus he hadn't been pushing his body the way he'd seen Hoshi and Trip do of late.

        Tucker sighed and looked around.  Corporal Kemper and Major Hayes were whispering quietly to themselves while guarding the cavern entrance.  An idea hit him.  "Hey, how much do you trust Major Hayes?"

        Reed's brows went up for a moment at the unspoken question.  _"Not enough for that,"_ would have been his first response.  But glancing at the smudges of color under Hoshi's eye and remembering the truly hellish day she'd had. The ensign hadn't even complained about the claustrophobia once throughout the whole day.  Malcolm nodded his head in agreement to the commander's obvious idea.  "I'll get him."

-&-&-&-

        Beep, beep.

        "Come in."

        T'Pol paused in the doorway, her dark eyes steady on the captain's bent head for a moment.  She'd heard tiny bits of talk among the crew regarding the captain's decision on the risky mission to distract the reptilians.  Had she been consulted, T'Pol would have pointed out one very important and devastatingly dangerous factor in the flawed plan.  But since she hadn't been consulted, she was simply going to have to bring the problem to the captain's attention.

        Another two minutes of silence went by before T'Pol realized that the captain had simply forgotten her presence in the room.  Irked, the Vulcan science officer cleared her throat loudly startling the captain.  She merely raised an inquiring brow at his scowl.

        "Yes?"

        "Captain, it has come to my attention that the armory team has achieved a modified rescue plan to extract the away team."       

        Archer made a face, not sure he was correctly interpreting the near vexed tone in the Vulcan's usually bland voice.  If he didn't know better, Jon would have sworn that T'Pol was peeved at not being included in the loop.  "Actually, it isn't a rescue plan at all.  It's a distraction plan to allow the away team a chance to get off the planet without being shot to hell by the surrounding Reptilians."  He was slightly surprised that he had managed to say it so mildly. 

        If the sub-commander had been affected by the captain's less than supportive tone, she didn't show it – then again, when had she ever?  "There is one small factor that has not been taken into account."

        "What's that?"

        "We have no way to predict when the away team shall complete their mission.  Prematurely activating the homing devices to lure the Reptilians away from the planet would not serve well if Enterprise must then engage in battle with the remaining ships for a period of time.  Activating it _after_ the away team has completed its mission would be too late to secure the distraction."

        "Well, there is that little problem isn't there," Jon murmured softly but didn't seem the least bit surprised.

        T'Pol's brow raised a fraction of an inch. 

        "I don't plan on waiting for the away team to finish before pulling the Reptilians away."

        "And what would that accomplish?"

        "Exactly what it was meant to accomplish," Jon folded his hands together in front of him and regarded his science officer for a moment.  "T'Pol, the point of this operation is to give the away team a fighting chance to get away.  Dividing the Reptilian's attention between us and the planet gives everyone some time and space to breath a little.  If I know Trip and Malcolm well, they are already well on their way into completing their mission.  Our time table was five days and I know that Malcolm plans on keeping that schedule - his mentality probably won't allow him otherwise.  That's what we're aiming at now."

        "And if they're late?"

        "That's a risk we're going to have to take."

        Her eyes reflected doubt though her face gave nothing away.  "It is unwise and irrational to take such risks."

        Archer's mouth curved gently into a quiet, thoughtful smile.  "Everything about this whole mission is a risk.  I have to trust my people to do what they can and leave the rest up to fate."

-&-&-&-

        "Easy does it."

        "Move your fingers DeMarco, I can't see."

        "Watch where you're pointing that… ow!"

        "Shit. I'm sorry."

        "Lt. Jamison..."

        "It was an accident, Commander."

        "No, I was going to warn you about the…"

        "Ouch!"

        "…live conductors to your right," Trip finished with a sigh.  This wasn't going as well as he had hoped.  "And try not to scorch Ensign DeMarco with the welder please.  He _is_ holding the charges and dropping them would be a _real_ bad thing." 

        Matt Hayes opened one tired eye to watch the progress of the three men about fifteen feet from him handling live charges.  The short conversation he overhead was hardly reassuring but judging by the small energy core that the engineers had extracted from the now scattered shell of the storage unit, he would say that everything was coming along nicely.  Out of pure habit, he began to stretch his limbs to awaken himself but found half his body weighted down.  The warm body that was pressed to his side murmured a soft protest and snuggled a little closer. 

        The face that poked through the warm cocoon of heavy cloaks wrapped around Hayes was nearly colorless and fragile.  He was still amazed that despite the apparent frailty of her features, Ensign Sato was a fascinatingly strong person.  It made him wonder what other facets of this beautiful young woman were hidden from the rest of the world. 

        Hayes mentally slapped himself for that train of thought.  _"She's a fleeter and a junior officer.  Stop thinking with your… _damn it."He didn't realize he had cursed out loud until the three officers working on the bomb turned and stared. 

        Ensign DeMarco grinned at the major.  "Something wrong, Sir?"

        Not quite sure why DeMarco was looking at him in such a conspiratorial manner, Matt shook his head.  "My arm is completely asleep." 

        Trip nodded his head in complete understanding and glanced at his chronometer.  "Been six hours, it's about time to wake everyone up."  He turned to wake Malcolm, who had finally agreed to take a nap two hours before, when he remembered something and turned back to warn the major.  "Hey Matt, you might wanna let me…"

        Hoshi came awake with a start, shrieked and rammed elbows into all the wrong (or right, depending on your point of view) places. 

        "… wake Hoshi for ya."  Trip winced with definite empathy. 

        It took just about everything Matt had not to give into the urge to scream. He waited with bated breath for his heart to stop attempting to jump out of his throat and was only vaguely aware of Ensign Sato sitting by his side, her face a mixture of shock, confusion, embarrassment and regret.  Some small part of him was actually kind of glad she felt regret.  Why?  He wasn't too sure.

        "Oh god, Major," she tried to help him get up but Hayes stopped her with a quick and firm shake of his head as he rolled to his side and away from her.  "I am _so_ sorry." 

        Trip was having a difficult time containing the smile on his face as he moved to the major's side and helped the poor guy into a sitting position.   The usually impassive MACO was currently sporting the most pained expression imaginable.  "You all right, Major?"

        Matt took a deep breath, then another… then another.

        Patting the poor guy with sympathy, Trip gave Hoshi a _look_.  "Girl, when are you going to learn not to wake like an angry kitten?" 

        Hoshi made a pathetically apologetic face.  "I'm so sorry, Major.  I hadn't meant to do that."  She frowned and looked from Cdr. Tucker to Major Hayes for a moment.  "But in my own defense, I wasn't really expecting to see Trip halfway across the room either." 

        Looking offended, Trip make a 'who me?' gesture.  "I'm the reason you beat up Major Hayes?"

        DeMarco and Jamison snickered.

        Corporal Romero and Sgt. Coates, who were standing guard, looked away quickly before anyone could spot their less than appropriate reaction. 

        Hayes just didn't care; his breath still came in starts. 

        Sato glared at the two laughing officers before turning back to the commander.  "Well, I thought you were the one that I went to sleep with."  She made a face and wondered at how that sounded.

        Shrugging his broad shoulders, "I had'a work and the major here – doing okay there, Major? – volunteered to keep you nice and toasty."

        Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Hoshi poked Trip in the shoulder.  "Did _he_ volunteered or did _you_ volunteer _him_?" 

        Trip looked innocently contrived. 

        Hoshi shook her head.  "I thought so."

        "I volunteered," Hayes said letting out a long, painful breath.  "Though I wouldn't have if I'd known your usual mode of waking is with a good kick in the..." 

        "I didn't do it on purpose," she said defensively.  "I'm not exactly used to waking up with strange men.  I panicked." 

        "Oh now I'm a strange man?" Hayes asked just to give her a hard time.  Standing was difficult but he managed with a great deal of self control.  It would definitely not give a good impression if he were to whimper like a wounded puppy, though the proclivity to do was so was strong. 

        As tempted as she was, Hoshi didn't rise to the bait "Are you okay?"

        "This is a more dangerous assignment than I had ever thought," he muttered as he walked around and worked the joints of his body loose.  "Yeah, I'll be fine."

        "I _really_ am sorry about that."

        "I'm sure you are, Ensign."  He rolled his shoulders back.  "Can we be ready to move out in twenty?"

        "Yeah," DeMarco called out as he and Jamison carefully lowered the bomb into one of their emptied backpacks.  "We're ready to move when you are."

        Slipping back into command mode, Trip handed Hoshi the PADD he had been using.  "We're going to need the fastest route to the Reptiles.  Don't want to be down here any longer than necessary."

        Shaking her head at him, Hoshi reached around and pulled her own PADD from her pack.  "I've already mapped out two routes for us.  The blue is the shortest one but it will take us through some populated areas, including the great chambers used for village meetings during great quakes and the food storage units they use for winter."

        Trip nodded his head with understand and handed the PADD to Lt. Reed, who was still rubbing his eyes open with one hand.  "And the red?"

        "It takes us another three hundred feet lower into the labyrinth but we skirt the areas that are most likely to have locals and probably won't have any Reptilians at all.  They're some of the newer tunnels, created in more recent eruptions."

        "Are they safe?"  Reed wanted to know, his eyes not on the map but on the bomb that DeMarco was securing.

        Ensign Sato shrugged.  "As safe as any of these caverns are.  We _are_ still surrounded by live volcanoes that can erupt at any time.  Heck, one of them is active now."

        "What?" Trip's face reflected his horror.

        The rest of the team, now all awake and beginning their preparations, stopped and stared.  None of them looked too comforted by that little snip-bit of news. 

        Hayes shook his head, his mind doubting what he just heard even as Ensign Sato confirmed it by her calm coolness.  "How do you know that?"

        "The rumbling."

        "The rumbling?" Jamison asked, his face twisted in confusion.  He looked to the others.  "What rumbling?"

        She gave him an 'are you stupid?' look and pointed to the western wall.  "The rumbling from the eruption of course, what did you think I was talking about?"

        Everyone on the team, except for Hoshi who was searching her backpack for biscuits, exchanged bewildered looks.

        "Hoshi?" Trip said quietly, watching her eyes come up as she struggled with her cloak for a moment.  "We don't hear any rumbling."

        "I'm not surprised," she said mildly as she munched a dry biscuit.  "It's over six hundred feet due Southwest and it's probably just a little eruption, nothing major.  It's more of a gurgle than a rumble actually, like the slow burn of the Hawaiian volcanoes." 

        Sanchez was the only one to voice the concern in everyone's mind.  "Are we walking straight for it?"

        "Of course."

        "Of course?" Romero shook his head.

        "We're in no danger," Hoshi murmured, thanking Katie Coates with a nod as the other woman helped clean up the scattered supplies from last evening.  "Like I said, it's a slow burn.  It's also the reason the Reptilians picked their location, it's warmer than any other spot around here."  She glanced over her shoulder.  "Hey, Commander?  Major?"

        "Yeah?"

        "You guys going to put on some pants before we leave?"  

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line:  Lt. Cdr. Klein's shook his head slowly and glanced down at the concluding results of the simulation.  "Ensign Mayweather just lost control of the ship between the two gravity walls of the two moons on the third planet in."  He glanced at the monitor again.  "The shuttle was crushed."


	13. Push

**Between A Rock and… Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** Am I still doing these things? By a show of hands, now many people are actually reading this part of the chapter? (Sigh) Okay, here we go again… I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. I would be more than happy to STOP, just tell me. There, everyone happy now? Good.

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **Tensions rise as time grows short. Mayweather loses his cool, armory and engineering argue, Hoshi finds a problem, and a dangerous plan is hatched.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** You know, I thought Enterprise was going to stop with the story arcs and just stick with the alien-of-the week stories. (I liked the way they handled TNG stories. If there is a story arc, it's two episodes then references to them somewhere down the line.) And personally, I don't care about the politics of Vulcans.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Thirteen – Push**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"**DAMN IT**!"

Archer's brow rose and his feet slowed as the curse resounded around the spacious simulation room. It sounded angry, frustrated and just this side of desperate. "Do I even want to know?" he asked the three engineers outside the mock-shuttle controls. The officers all wore identical looks of sympathy.

Lt. Cdr. Meyers shook his head slowly and glanced down at the concluding results of the simulation. "Ensign Mayweather just lost control of the ship between the gravity wells of the two moons on the third planet in." He glanced at the monitor again. "The shuttle was crushed."

Jon sighed with understanding and looked at the controls. The statistical numbers were graphed out carefully to show the progress. It was quite impressive but what bothered him were how many sets of numbers the computer was calculating. "How long has he been at this?"

"Eight simulations in four hours," he replied, turning the monitor for the captain to get a better view. "But he's improving."

"He won't use VR," Lt. Simms murmured softly, her normally perky, pink face full of concern. She was a mother of two and had all the instincts that came with it. "It would be easier on his body if he were to use VR...won't be as stressful."

"But the accuracy of his reaction time would be down twenty percent," Lt. Berube pointed out as he reset the simulation. "We want him at the top of his game."

"Yes but the physical strain of this many…"

"Twenty percent out there is life or death, Jennie." Lt. Cdr. Meyer replied, glancing quickly at the captain.

Archer patted Lt. Simms' arm gently with appreciative kindness. At such times as these, it wouldn't be surprising for shipmates to be snapping at one another; but the crew of the _Enterprise_ seemed to be banding together more tightly, watching each others backs whenever they could. It warmed him to know that even as he was frustrated by the fact that such camaraderie was coming at the expense of his knowing what's happening on his own damn ship.

"Why don't you guys take a break and let Mayweather get some rest too. We'll try this again when you've had at least some food and a breath of air. Back here in three hours."

"Thank you, sir."

Captain Archer waited until the last of the gamma shift crew left before lifting the latch on the mock-shuttle with a sigh.

Travis could feel his own frustrations mount as he watched the playback with keen interest. There were simply too many factors to consider while he rode the gravity fields, relying more on the push and pull of the planetary movements then the shuttle's engines. The decrease in power usage would lower the chances of the Reptilians finding him before he could complete his mission. Unfortunately, it meant having to watch the minor changes of direction like a hawk guarding its young. It was impossible to anticipate the random changes the computer would throw at him and his reaction time just simply wasn't good enough to plot a successful course. It was as much touch and go as the real mission would be.

With a grunt of frustration, he shook his head as he heard the doors open. "Let's go again. I think I know where my problem is as far as that last run goes. The trajectory was slightly off when we entered the third ring and…"

"How much coffee have you consumed, Ensign?"

Whirling about in his seat, Travis lost his balance and fell off, only just managing to not _completely_ humiliate himself by catching the side panel with one hand and landing with a thud rather than a thump. Scrambling to his feet, Travis prayed for a hole to open underfoot and swallow him. "Captain!"

"Ease up, Travis, you're looking like you'll break if you stand any straighter," Jon lowered himself into a chair and toyed with the small canisters of coffee that littered the floor. "So how many of these have you had?"

Sitting down slowly, Travis shrugged his shoulders. "Honest to god, I lost count after six."

"Hum…" Glancing out the shuttle door, Archer spoke in a conspiratal whisper. "You're driving the engineers a little batty."

Mayweather looked out into the empty room with concern, "I hadn't realized that I was so demanding."

"You aren't," Jon said getting up, motioning for the helmsman to precede him out of the simulation craft. "They're just worried about the amount of time you're putting in here. Simms looked ready to pull a medical intervention on you." He gave Travis a frown that conveyed annoyance and sympathy at the same time. "Four hours?"

Blinking rapidly, Travis frowned and looked at the chronometer on the control panels. "Has it been that long?"

Jon chuckled softly. "Time flies when you're having fun."

Travis rolled his eyes. "That was hardly what I call fun," he suddenly recalled who he was speaking to, "Sir."

Archer gave him a look that was full of exasperation. "Come have breakfast with me, I have it on good authority that you haven't had any yet."

"But sir, the simulations have to be…"

"Have to wait," he corrected with a frown. "And you've kept Gamma Shift there for too long already, they need to rest too. You'll have breakfast, get some rest and start fresh. I don't doubt your abilities to pull this off, Travis. You're as good as they come and you're only going to get better with experience. But you're not superhuman, you're not perfect and we can't expect you to be that…" he made a face, "Though I seem to have been demanding it of everyone else of late." He sighed and nodded to himself. "I am correcting it though, slowly but surely."

"Sir?" Confusion was clearly written upon his face.

Jon shrugged. "Don't push so hard, Travis. You're doing just fine."

"But sir…"

"I know that you're frustrated and…"

"I'm _not_ frustrated," Travis proclaimed in a most irritated manner and then flushed at his own raised voice. "Well, I am but that's not the only thing. I'm just mad; just mad at myself for not doing _better_." He ran an angry hand over his face and through his hair. "I mean Hoshi and the others, they're depending on me; I can't let them down. And the rest of the officers on that shuttle with me, they're putting their lives in my hands. How can I go out there if I can't assure them that I'll get them back in one _piece_?"

It was the eyes that told the story. Travis had eyes that were big, angry and scared. _"Failure is a trait we all would rather not experience."_ Jon sighed and nodded his head. "I understanding what you're going through Travis, I _really_ do, but I can't let you shoulder the responsibilities on your own." Passing through the doors of his private dining chambers, the captain indicated the chair next to his. "I made the decision to proceed with the plans. The officers in armory will plot the course of action. You're merely carrying out what needs to be done. We know the risks, we know what failure would do, and we've accepted it. You don't get to put that on yourself, I won't allow it."

Travis closed his eyes for a moment. "But I feel it."

Jon smiled, soft and sympathetic. "Yeah, I know. That's what makes you a good guy."

-&-&-&-

Hoshi swallowed hard, her chin bobbed once as she forcibly moved saliva down her throat. Seeing the movement, the third in less than ten minutes, Trip jogged forward and talked by her as she continued to watch the walls for any new symbols. "You all right, darling?" he whispered close to her ear.

She nodded, distracted by the small opening in the wall. "Yeah, but my ears are kind of clogged though."

Trip refrained from letting out a sigh of relief.

Glancing down at her data PADD, Hoshi looked up at the darkened hole and frowned. This was new, not on the map and not marked by any symbols of explanations on the wall. She took two quick steps and disappeared into the darkness for all of three seconds before she was yanked out forcibly by the arm. "Ow…"

"You have got to stop doing that," Lt. Reed all but growled as he motioned for Major Hayes and Corporal Romero to proceed into the dark, unexplored and unknown cavern Hoshi had so cheerfully tripped into without thought.

They waited tensely for a minute.

"How's the leg, Sanchez?" Kemper murmured as he scanned their six.

"Sore, bruised but not broken," Sanchez replied in the same whispering tones as he watched the gloomy entrance with concern. "Shouldn't we have hard from them by…"

"Clear!" Romero called out.

"Now?" Sanchez finished rather lamely then shrugged his shoulder before proceeding in, taking Romero's side of the cave.

"Clear," Hayes lowered his rifle and looked around the cavern that was illuminated solely by his and Romero's light scopes as Coates appeared behind him and took position.

"Check the entrance walls," Hoshi said as she entered, wondering mildly how the MACO men got their wide shoulders through the narrow opening without tilting their bodies. "See if there are any writings."

There was a moment of silence as everyone visually scanned the walls for anything… anything at all. "I've got nothing."

"Nothing here."

"Me too."

"Ditto."

"Anyone?"

"Hoshi?" Trip frowned and lowered his light. "What are we looking for?"

Tucking her light under her arm, Hoshi pulled her PADD out again and studied the heavily marked map she'd been using to navigate. "Hum…"

Lt. Reed rubbed his forehead with his forefinger and sighed. "It's never a good sign when the smart ones are non-committal."

"Yeah," Hayes agreed whole-heartedly with the lieutenant. "I find that's usually the first sign of trouble."

Trip frowned at the two. "Now, that ain't true."

Malcolm made a face at his superior. "Can I remind you of that moment before we found out that the energy unit was underwater? Or the time Hoshi thought she heard the anomalies on the ship and didn't do anything but go 'hum…' for half an hour? Or the time that you thought you saw…"

"Alright, alright." There was nothing worse that having mistakes of hesitation pointed out to a person. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty."

Hayes schooled his features carefully. "Yes, but we should be learning from experience."

"Sheesh, I swear you two live to suck all the joy outta life."

The two security officers smiled mildly. "We try."

"This is new," Hoshi pronounced, having heard none of the conversation around her. She looked around completely fascinated. "Interesting..."

Lt. Reed ran through all kinds of thoughts associated with that one word and decided women were impossible to understand when it came to the workings of their mind. So far, he couldn't find anything remotely 'interesting' about an empty cavern with no strategic use to them. "Hoshi, please tell me that this has something to do with our mission and is not just your scientific curiosity at work."

"This cavern is brand new," she repeated with a frown, marking it on her map carefully for future reference. "It's so new in fact that no one's marked it yet."

"Hoshi…"

"Wait, wait, wait," she looked around again and found a stone on the floor. "I told you that this area was new to the maze…that it's only been around a couple of decade maybe. Well, if you'd notice while we were going through the tunnels, there are markings on the wall, pointing us toward certain directions and telling me what each of the areas are used for even if they're not on the map already established." Hoshi stood on her tiptoes, looked around and room and began to scratch out swirling lines of words with ease. "This cavern is so new that no one has even discovered it yet."

There have been moments in his career when Malcolm hated his job. Reining in overly enthusiastic scientists was one of them. "Hoshi, we are on a time schedule here. We need to get moving and…"

"You don't understand," she told him in no uncertain terms.

"What don't we understand?"

She gave him a look over her shoulder that clearly spelled out her exasperation at his lack of comprehension of what all this signified for them. "The fact that no one knows about these caves yet means that we've just stumbled into an unexplored area. There is a chance that the tunnels we are heading into may no longer be there. The geography down here has changed; I no longer have a working map to go on. In other words, we're walking blind."

-&-&-&-

There had been a long-standing, silent battle between the boys in engineering and the boys in armory. The two departments often crossed swords and paths in mission and objective. While the heads of the two had no trouble distinguishing their duties and working together on them, their subordinates weren't quite as cooperative though they made a good showing of it.

Lt. Jodi Franklin tapped her foot lightly on the floor as she listened to yet another suggestion made with unnecessary force and less than friendly tone. And judging by the way Corporal Hawkins and Menendez kept exchanging questioning glances, she wasn't the only one that noticed.

"If we modify the torpedo to hold…"

"The yield would not be significantly increased and the risk of the circuit board overheating during the…"

"We need to light them each up like Roman candles on Fourth of July; even a fraction of…"

"And if there isn't any room for error and, god forbid, we end up that ridiculously unlucky, we could be putting our people in…"

"There is always safety measures built into…"

"But if you take out the secondary controls to make room for the…"

"The statistics of the primary controls on torpedoes malfunctioning show that…"

"The success rates don't matter. It's the point zero one percent we have to be worrying about here!"

"You're just mad 'cause you can't make it happen!"

"Says the guy that wouldn't know one end of a spectrometer if it came up and bit him in the…"

"Are you guys always like this?" Corporal Hawkins asked looking at the four person group consisting of Ensign Kemble and Lt. Biggins from Armory; and Lt. Fielding and Lt. Ensign Monroy from Engineering. "Or is it usually just before _we're_ here?"

"Thank you," Lt. Franklin murmured as she elbowed her fellow engineers out of the way. "I'm glad someone with testosterone around here still has some sense left in their brains."

"Jodi…" Lt. Fielding started.

"Don't," she pointed one finger at her friend. "The Captain said we have eight hours to get this done and you guys want to stand here and argue who's got the bigger dick? Grow up boys!" She glared at the lot of them. "We now have less than six hours and Lt. Langley will be back in twenty minutes to check on our progress. How much do you want to bet she's going to be thoroughly pissed when she finds you guys still looking at a bare weapon? You haven't even attached the casing for the homing devices yet. Can we please argue about fire power later and concentrate on the practical side of this?"

Jeremy Briggins flushed with color and sighed. The tension was killing him slowly but surely and arguing with engineering wasn't going to make it any better. "Lt. Franklin is right." And though it killed him to concede, especially since the lieutenant was an engineer, he made a stab at it. "We'll leave the yield and hope for the best; we probably don't have time to strip the energy conductors to refit for new capacity. Let's setup the homing beacons and worry about the other stuff later."

Hawkins grinned and nudged Menendez. "Now we're talking. What do you need us to do?"

Monroy pulled up the sleeves of his shirt and handed a welder to Kemble. "Getting out of the way would be nice."

-&-&-&-

"Are you sure…"

"No."

"Well, that's not very reassuring," Trip groused as he picked his way carefully over the crumbling rocks. Their progress, after passing by the new cave Hoshi had carefully marked out for any later visitors, had slowed to a snail's crawl. Much to the dismay of the others, the linguist's prediction had been true. The geography had changed and thus rendered them blind. It was frustrating beyond belief.

"I'm doing my best, Commander," Malcolm sighed and glanced at the map again. "Hoshi, I don't think these…"

"Oh damn it," she sighed and saw that the section of the tunnels they needed to pass through had collapsed. It was the third one in a row now. A quick glance at the partially covered writings on the wall confirmed it. Closing her eyes to stomp down her growing frustration, she took a deep breath and looked at her map again. Crossing out the areas that were now inaccessible to them, she looked for another route. "We'll need to back track again, get to higher ground and loop around the damaged areas."

There were several resigned sighs but no one muttered a complaint. It was plain to see that this was more irritating to the young ensign than anyone else. "No way around this pile of…"

"This was our only other opinion to the relationship caverns. And that's the main junction to the…"

"Alright, alright, we got it," Jamison said with another sigh and took his turn carrying the heavy pack with the bomb. "Let's just keep going."

Because her legs were feeling slightly like rubber, Ensign Sato looked at the commander. "Maybe we should stop and rest for a moment. It should be almost noon, we need to eat."

With a nod, Tucker relieved his aching back of the pack he was carrying. "Agreed. Thirty minutes, people."

Coates sat down next to Sato, handing her water as the studious communications officer pulled biscuits from her pack and continued to study her charts carefully. "Any luck?"

"This is worse than being stuck on the Jupiter moon," Hoshi muttered as she scrolled along the page and sighed. "Thanks," she said distractedly, taking the water and waving away the ration bar. "How can you eat that?"

Katie grinned, "I can't look bad in front of the boys," and took a bite of roast lamb with cherry pie. "Being a woman in the MACO is hard enough; I can't let them see me as actually _being a_ woman."

"There is no chance of them missing that little fact while we're still wearing these suits," Hoshi muttered, pulling slightly at the collar. She had put the suit back on without her underwear and it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"You'd be surprised," Katie said trying not to taste the god-awful ration. "Any chance of us cutting through all this today?"

"Maybe," Hoshi muttered as she continued to watch the scrolling materials. "But I was just mouthing off when I said we were going to have to back track. There's not a safe way around this area unless something else opened up since these tunnels collapsed. If we go three hundred feet up, and cut cross the old mining caverns, mind you there is a chance we'll come across locals there, we can probably get back on the original route by seventeen hundred."

"That's half our day wasted."

"No kidding," Hoshi muttered and rubbed her face with her hand.

"You alright?"

"Tired."

"I can see that. And with all the excitement this morning…"

Hoshi glared at her. "How many times am I going to have to apologize for that?"

Coated chuckled glancing across the way at where the major was speaking quietly with Cdr. Tucker and Lt. Reed. "You have to admit, it's pretty funny."

Hoshi wasn't so lost in her work that she couldn't see the humor in it. "Maybe."

"Oh man, the major is so going to get ribbed for it when we get back to the ship." She could almost see Chang, Hawkins and Palmer not letting this go for weeks to come.

"Assuming we make it out of here in one piece," Hoshi muttered and shut down her PADD. "Okay, I think we may cut our time by an hour if we cut directly though the Logging Station."

"Logging Station?"

"It's where the Jukinarians log what's placed into storage. If we can get past the area, we can cut down our traveling time."

"Is the place populated?"

"Yeah, it is."

"So, didn't we want to keep a low…"

"We did it in the village."

"Yeah, but by necessity."

"Well, consider this a necessity. There's simply no help for it, we have to push on."

"Even if it means exposure to the enemy?"

Hoshi consider this for a moment, knowing what her answer was going to be but still needing to consider it some more before she answered. "Yeah."

-&-&-&-

"Nice job, Mayweather," Lt. Simms commented as Travis stepped out of the mock-shuttle looking weary and hungry. "The last two were quite impressive."

Travis rubbed his face and glanced at the results again. He'd gone back in the simulation when he felt ready and had been taking regular breaks every hour or so. That had been the third successful simulation he'd achieved. "I'd feel better if I could make another run at it."

"No can do," Lt. Cdr. Meyers said with a shake of his head. "Langley and the boys in the armory are loading the warheads on the torpedoes now. Homing devices with modified Star Fleet signatures are attached and ready to go on remote and timed remote as secondary systems. You're only going to get about two hours of rest before you head out."

Mayweather's stomach dropped a notch as he nodded his head.

Lt. Berube shut down the system and nodded toward the door. "Get food, get sleep then get ready. You only get once chance at this."

"You don't need to remind him," Lt. Simms murmured leading the young nervous helmsman toward the door. "Mayweather knows what's at stake, he's going to do us proud."

-&-&-&-

"Lieutenant?"

"Captain!"

The rest of armory came to alert with a snap.

Jon didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed by the attention. He wondered briefly for a moment if he was ever going to get used to all this deference. With a resigned sigh, he nodded to the officers; some still holding tools schematics, "Report."

Lt. Howards and Lt. Langley stepped away from the others and looked at each other for a moment. Howards nodded his go-ahead. Langley received it with understanding. "We're at 80 completion. We've got one more warhead to affix before loading begins."

Howards looked over at where his people were calibrating the receivers. "After that, it's up to Mayweather to get them to where they need to go. I'll be one board with Lt. Briggins and Lt. Langley."

"And the MACO's?" Archer inquired, watching the MACO officers standing on the perimeter with some concern. He did not want to alienate the combat officers.

"Lt. McKinsie has been informed and agreed. With no physical contact, there's nothing more they can do from here on out."

"I'd still feel better if you take at least one with you." He looked over the MACOs present. "Corporal Chang!"

The corporal moved across the room with the ease of one trained to be a hunter. "Sir?" The salute was more for the other officers to see then for the captain to appreciate.

"You'll accompany the shuttle team on their flight."

"Yes, sir!"

"Lt. Langley, you're in charge."

Jennifer Langley almost blanched. "Yes, sir."

"Good luck, people. Inform the bridge when you're ready to leave." Archer nodded once more before taking his leave, knowing well that his very presence was making the rest of the team tense. There's nothing like brass to make the subordinates feel self-conscience.

Langley turned to Howards the minute the captain disappeared. "Lieutenant…"

"Don't," holding his hand up, Howards turned back to complete his task. "The captain made his decision."

"I know but…"

"We follow order, Jennifer." Lt. Howards said quietly.

Chang watched with fascination having already heard the stories from Hawkins about what happened in the armory this afternoon. The two officers from different departments getting along was quite interesting.

Jennifer still felt the need to say something. "James, the captain didn't know we had already agreed that you'd be in…"

"Doesn't matter," he replied without any heat or resentment. "Captain gave his orders and we follow them, chain of command."

"Still…"

"I'm okay with it, Jen." And he was. "There's no place for egos on this mission." He said it loud enough for the rest of the team to hear. He too heard what happened earlier in the day. "Now let's do this."

-&-&-&-

"Tomaki poliphia, seian lostreian woenma quaposkea."

"Nakmis pondara mi skino lamerie trunsue jani bukin."

"Ouna?"

"Naknori junia."

Lt. Reed nudged Cdr. Tucker with an elbow and leaned closer, shifting slightly as the hood of his cloak didn't obscured his vision. "What do you think they're saying?"

"With Hoshi, it could be anything." Trip frowned as he watched Hoshi's eyes turn dark with concern. "But that don't look too good."

"Boluma," Hoshi bowed and returned to her companions. "We've got a problem."

"What now?" Sanchez muttered.

Kemper elbowed his young comrade hard.

Ignoring the curious looks of concern from the rest of the team, she motioned the others to follow. "Come with me." Taking them down a long corridor in the general vicinity of where they were headed, she searched for a moment and ignored the looks they were receiving from the locals. The long cloaks were effective in concealing their combat suits but weren't exactly convenient for the long walks in the underground maze. But an easy half-truth about the chill of lower caverns explained it away.

It was a while before she found an empty cavern. It was no bigger than a conference room on _Enterprise_ but it provided them with privacy needed.

"What's going on, Hoshi?" Tucker asked immediately as Hayes and Kemper secured the entrance.

"The number of Reptilians has doubled in the last two days."

"What?"

The stupid look on everyone's face would have been funny had the situation not been so dire. "The man I was speaking to, he's the cavern guard of this area. They're not so much there to guard against thieves or anything like that, it's more against natural disasters. If there's rumbling in a section of the tunnels, he alerts everyone to evacuate their stuff so that…"

"Hoshi," Tucker interrupted. "We don't care what he does. Just get to the point girl."

"Right," she shook her head to clear the afterthoughts and wished she didn't have the habit of rambling when she got nervous. "I told him about the recent changes in the Eastern quarters and gave him a copy of the modified map. He thanks us," she gave DeMarco a look. He had been quite vocal about not interacting with the locals more than necessary. "I told him we were studying geography and were headed into the Western areas. He warned me not to go because of the Reptilians and how their numbers seemed to have doubled in the last two days. Apparently there are now ships in orbit."

"_Enterprise._"

She shook her head quickly. "No fire-fight…not yet. I'm betting the Captain and T'Pol moved the ship behind the gaseous moons."

Nodding his head, Tucker agreed. "Scanner can't get through."

Reed shook his head. "They're waiting for us."

"Wouldn't expect anything less from the cap'n."

"With increased Reptilians, it's going to be that much harder to get through to the weapon."

Hoshi licked her dry lips. "I have an idea."

"Let's hear it."

"Do you have an extra explosive?"

Reed eyed her funny as he dug through his pack. "Yeah, why?"

She knew he wasn't going to like this. "The key is to divide and conquer, you taught me that. I'm going to provide you guys with a distraction. With me moving alone, I can get around a lot faster. Pull the Reptilians deeper into the caverns and give you guys fewer targets to deal with."

"Hoshi…" Tucker said with a warning that was clearly to be heeded.

"Relax Commander," she said holding her hand out to Reed. "I don't plan on being buried here, I'll make sure not to get caught as well. What's the delay time?"

Reed held the explosive. "I'll go."

"No," she shook her head at him. "You can't read the signs, you don't know the tunnels."

"You'll give me a map."

"I don't know if a map is going to be accurate. We just spent half the day finding that out."

Reed's lips compressed into a grim line; he conceded her point.

Tucker jumped in even as he saw Major Hayes join them. "Hoshi, I'm not going to risk your life. You're our map out of here."

"That's not true; besides, from here there is a tunnel straight up to the surface, I can map that one out easily because I know it's accurate.

"Hoshi…"

"I can do this."

"I don't doubt that for a second but…"

She shook her head at them. "I'll get you guys into place and then take off. All I'll need is ten minutes to get into position and boom. We may be lucky and get rid of half the guards around the de-stabilizer."

"No way, Ensign." Hayes vetoed, catching the tail end of the plan and shaking his head in disbelief. If he didn't know better, he could swear she was purposely trying to make his job that much harder.

"Guys…"

Tucker nodded his head vigorously in agreement. "The cap'n would kill us."

"_The captain _wants this mission completed," Hoshi pointed out as she snatched the explosive from Reed's hand. When they all just looked at each other, concern and uncertainty warring on their faces, she regarded them with a frown. "What is going with you guys? You've all been acting so weird since we got on the planet."

The fire in Ensign Sato's eyes warned Malcolm that telling the truth right now would be considerably more dangerous than facing the horde of Reptilians they had to worry about. "While I agree with the Commander, I also agree with Ensign Sato. We're going to have to find a way to distract the Reptilians or at least lessen their numbers to a more manageable target."

Trip frowned. "What are you suggesting, Malcolm?"

He was probably taking his life into his hands at the moment but Lt. Reed didn't really see much of a choice in the matter… if he could have a half more hour to consider it… well, that's neither here nor there. "Major Hayes and Corporal Romero will accompany Ensign Sato," he held up a hand to forestall the protest from all quarters. "We don't send someone off by themselves, there is always a contingency plan; three per team is the smallest number to go with." That seemed to have placated Hoshi. Now came the tough ones, "Right now we don't have too many choices as far as actions to take. And we certainly cannot sit here indefinitely waiting for the enemy numbers to lessen. Ensign Sato has a legitimate plan, and until anyone else can come up with a better one, this is where we stand."

There was a long tense moment as Hayes and Tucker both ground their teeth and reconsidered the plan with much reluctance. After a minute of silence, they both grudgingly agreed that it was simply their only option.

Tucker sighed and nodded his head. "Alright, let's move. And Hoshi, you better come back 'cause I ain't facing the cap'n if we lose his best linguist."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line: "Now would be a really good time to run."


	14. Into the Fray

**Between A Rock and…**** Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** For _The Libran Iniquity_ who still reads the disclaimers: (Clears throat carefully) "I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely as pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice." Was that good enough for you, dear?

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **Archer awaits news, Mayweather does some fancy flying, Hayes's team run into trouble and everyone's plans are set into motion.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Strange, I've been watching ABC's "Lost" for weeks now that I just realized that the guy that played Corporal Chang is a regular on that show. Then I was watching "Spiderman 2" two nights ago and realized he was in that movie as well. Boy, the guy gets around.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Fourteen – Into the Fray**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Archer watched the monitor with trepidation as the nose of the shuttle appeared at the edge of the main viewing screen. He'd wanted to be in the shuttle bay to speak with the crewmen before they left, but T'Pol had pointed out the amount of nervousness the officers seemed to display whenever he was around. With the team handling live explosives, it seemed wiser for Archer to stay away. But he certainly wasn't going to ignore their departure.

"Shuttle two has cleared the ship," T'Pol's monotone voice rang across the tensely silent bridge.

"Ensign Tanner, hail them." Archer moved into position just before the captain's seat.

"Channel open."

"Enterprise to Shuttle Two."

"Captain," Lt. Langley nodded her greeting from her seat next to Ensign Mayweather.

"I don't have to tell you guys what's at stake here," Archer said quietly, his eyes conveying his concern. "I also don't need to tell _you_ to be careful."

"No sir." Jennifer Langley tightened her hands on the chair arms just beyond the view of the captain.

Jon nodded his head slowly. "Good luck, people. We await your return."

"Thank you, Captain. Shuttle two out."

The main screen blinked out and was replaced with the view of the space surrounding _Enterprise_ The rest of the bridge crew watched silently as the shuttle bee-lined toward the second moon in orbit, the first of three target locations. There wasn't one person the ship that didn't understand the danger that faced the shuttle team.

Letting out a breath, Captain Archer shook his head and wished for coffee. Twittering his thumbs, he sighed and looked at T'Pol, who quietly raised a brow of inquiry at him. "God, I hate waiting."

-&-&-&-

Travis's hand glided over the controls with practiced ease. But anyone that knew him well could see the set lines about his mouth, the tension in his usually confident hands and the way his shoulders were raised just enough to reveal his anxiety. "One-third impulse."

"Isn't that too slow?" Howards asked from just behind the pilot's station.

"We're moving between the two moons; they both have magnetic gravity fields that could easily be described as atomic bombs to our moon's fire crackers." Mayweather made adjustments quickly as the shuttle began to shift in one direction. "We risk getting ripped apart if we try to force our way between them."

"Howards," Langley turned in her chair and shook her head at the armory officer. "Mayweather ran two dozen simulations on this. Let's let him do the driving."

"I don't mind the questions," Travis said quietly, his eyes never leaving the instruments in front of him. "I'm not the only one on this ship; my opinion isn't the only one that counts."

Howards smiled and clapped the helmsman on the shoulder. "You're a good man, Travis. You know that right?"

A fleeting smile graced the boyish face as the shuttle began to tremble under the stress of the opposing forces. Travis' hands held steady over the controls, ready to make any adjustments needed. "Let's hope I'm as good as everyone thinks I am."

-&-&-&-

"Okay, from here…" Hoshi touched the screen before her and angled the PADD to allow the others to see. "You've got a clear path to the generators. What comes between you and it is _your_ problem now. And this tunnel on the other side will take you straight to the energy unit. My guess is that the destablizer will be somewhere between the energy unit and the generator, and it's also the location that will be most heavily guarded." She switched screens quickly feeling the tension rise as the time grew closer to when they were to initiate their plans. "This path will lead you to the main gathering site, the primary evacuation area for emergencies. There is only _one_ path leading out from the primary room, and that's straight up and out of the caves; keep to the bigger of the passageways, don't head off into any of the smaller tunnels at junction points. Just follow the signs with these symbols." She switched screens again to show them the series of the now familiar symbols. They'd seen them several times now along the different paths.

"I don't plan on needing to know this Hoshi," Trip said seriously though it was obvious he was absorbing every detail she provided. "You _are_ coming back to lead us out." It was an order if there ever was one.

"Oh, I plan on it," Hoshi agreed with a nod. "But contingency plans must be seen to," she added with just a hint of grin.

If Trip could resist it, he might have; but the reality was that he didn't particularly want to. Reaching out, he punched Malcolm on the arm with enough force to knock the armory officer on his rear – though truthfully with the way everyone was crouching, it didn't take all that much force. "You and your lessons."

Rubbing his arm, Lt. Reed sighed without any resentment. "How the bloody hell was I to know she actually pays attention? Half of my men most assuredly don't." He glared at DeMarco, who blushed.

Hoshi shook her head and smiled. "Happy as I am that someone else is in trouble for a change, I think it's time for us to move."

"Agreed." Hayes picked up his much-lightened backpack, which only consisted of the most essential supplies, as were the others since they had unloaded almost everything else in a nearby storage shed for light traveling. "Expect the uproar in ten minutes, give or take two. Romero, let's go."

Romero nodded his head and handed his phase pistol to Hoshi. "I know you're insisting on taking point, so let's arm you okay?"

She gave him a look that asked 'are you insane?' and pulled her side arm from under her cloak. "I'm ready." Why the man thought she would go off unarmed was beyond her comprehension; she was naïve but she wasn't stupid.

"Be careful, Hoshi," Trip said with a grave look of concern. He didn't like this, didn't like this at all.

"We'll await the signal," Reed gave Hayes a significant look as he spoke. "Good luck."

Hayes nodded but leaned close as he passed his former-rival, "I'll bring her back."

"You'd better," Reed replied.

-&-&-&-

"TRAVIS!"

"Hang on!" the helmsman called out as his right hand pulled the shuttle out of the controlled glide through an angled turn and his left hand clutched the panel to keep him in his seat.

"Oh crap!" Briggins hit the wall with his left shoulder and dropped to the ground. The force from the shuttle's sudden movements had left him without a damn thing to hang onto.

"TRAVIS!" Jennifer Langley called out again as the shuttle swung into a tighter arc, increasing the pressure and sending her body crashing into the bulkhead.

"Just one more minute," Travis called out, his white-knuckled hand keeping him upright as the shuttle moved into position on the other side of the gravity well that they had used to pull them out of the third moon orbiting the second planet in the system. "I'm pulling us to a stop right… NOW!"

The abrupt end to the almost unbearable pressure from Travis's spectacular display of shuttle mastery sent every passenger into the exact opposition direction they had all been pressed into the second before, creating quite a lovely mess. There a pause as everyone tried to catch their breath and force their thumping hearts down from their throats toward the correct position in their chests, all while attempting to appear dignified.

Corporal Chang let out the breath he was sure he had been holding the better part of the last five minutes. "That was some flying." He'd heard stories; just never expected to be in one of them. "Don't ever do it again."

Travis laughed weakly and barely managed to ask if everyone was alright without disgracing himself with the need to upchuck. Everything in his body seemed to need to settle back into place after being squished in one direction for too long.

"We're alive, that's good enough for me," Howards responded with a definite sigh of relief, taking several deep breaths to keep his lunch down. "Where the hell did you learn to do that?"

"You don't really want to know," Mayweather assured him as he checked the instruments before him. "We're at a dead stop and far enough away from the Reptilians to go to half impulse if you want us to move further out."

"No, this is good enough," Langley said adamantly as her stomach did another roll before settling back into its proper location. "Let's just sit here for a bit."

"You look a little green, Jen," Howards couldn't help but point out.

"You don't look like Mr. July either," she shot back and sighed. "Let's get that torpedo into place guys. We don't have all day and we've still got the return trip."

"Chang," Briggins called out as he moved to the back of the cabin. "Want to launch this last puppy? I know the MACOs probably don't get a whole lot of chances to play with torpedoes in your line of work."

David Chang smiled and nodded. "We stick mostly to the in-your-face kind of action."

"And aren't we glad you do what you do so very well," Langley grinned and sat back while the boys did their thing. "We've got fifteen minutes guys, let's hop to it." She turned to the young helmsman that was studying the star chart in front of him. "Travis?"

"Hum…?" he looked up vaguely, his mind still wrapped around the next series of problems to handle in order to get them back to the ship without detection.

"Good job," she said with a grin. "Captain would be proud of you."

He returned the grin. "Thanks, but it's not over yet."

-&-&-&-

"Ensign Sato," Corporal Romero whispered.

"You can call me Hoshi," she replied with glittering eyes illuminated by the minimum light they were using to navigate the narrow tunnels. "Is something wrong?"

"We're down to three minutes," he informed her with a quick glance at his commander. Neither one had said a word when Sato had taken point but both were considerably nervous about it.

Acknowledging the time limit with a nod that sent her ponytail bobbing Hoshi glanced down at her map for a second. "We're almost at the junction."

Hayes and Romero both nodded and continued to scan their surrounding with growing unease. Hayes was feeling the pressure as he glanced back at their six. There was no indication that they weren't all alone in what looked to be an abandoned area but something pricked at the back of Matt's head. "Let's step it up."

"Relax, Major," Hoshi whispered back as she holstered her phase pistol and pulled a detonator out of her backpack. "We're here."

"This is it?" Romero asked, his eyes looking around the somewhat narrowed junction where three smaller tunnels connected; one was so small he doubt that he could pass through without angling his shoulders. Not an ideal place for combat.

"Were you expecting something a little more grandiose?" Hoshi asked with a smile as she attached the explosive to the wall with tacking putty. "This is the ideal location; it'll bring down two of these tunnels, cutting off the Reptilian retreat through the smaller passages." Once she secured it, she pulled out a second detonator and moved farther down the wall, attaching it behind a rock and effectively hiding it from view.

Romero and Hayes both looked at her with raised brows.

Sato shrugged her shoulders and continued to work. "Call me paranoid. It's on a remote detonator."

Jason Romero smiled and looked at his commander with a twinkle. "I'd say it was excellent training." Jason winked at her when Hoshi smiled. "Definitely something the major and lieutenant would have thought of."

Hoshi giggled at the disgruntled look on the MACO commander's face. Dusting her hands, "Okay, I'm done. The first one is like an old fashion alarm system; we're going to get all of forty seconds after activation to haul ass before it goes off." Her hand up and revealed a flashing red remote. "Here we go." With a grin at them, she depressed the button. "Let's jet," Hoshi picked up her backpack with one hand and her flashlight with the other before moving swiftly in the direction they had come from.

"Wait," Hayes said as his long legs carried him toward the ensign just as she came to the entrance. It was one thing to let Hoshi take lead when they had no idea where they were going but the return trip was a whole other story.

The Reptilian appeared suddenly, without a sound, without warning. And it was just as surprised to see the humans as they were to see the Reptilian; as were its half-dozen companions.

For a second, no one moved; everyone was too stunned to react.

Then Hoshi **_SCREAMED_**! It was loud, high-pitched and ear-piercingly painful… _and_ the _perfect_ distraction.

Grabbing Sato with his left hand and jerking her back, Major Hayes raised his pulse rifle with his right and fired two rounds. At such a close range, the result wasn't pretty or neat. Then without a second thought, he threw himself against Ensign Sato, shielding her between the wall and his own body.

Corporal Jason Romero, trained three years under Major Hayes, dropped to one knee and waited only until the major and ensign had cleared his field of range before his weapon did more damage than should be possible. He ignored his comrades as he focused on the advancing enemy. Ten heart stopping seconds later, Jason's trigger finger stopped in mid-pull.

Silence.

Romero got to his feet with more suddenness then necessary and moved down the hall, watching the bodies that lined the entrance and looking for live targets. Sharpening the scope light on his rifle with his left hand, he scanned the area again quickly. "Clear!"

Major Hayes levered himself away from the wall even as Ensign Sato scrambled for her footing. A long red gash decorated her right shoulder where her uniform had torn. "You alright?"

"Forget that," she answered as she shoved him away and glanced back at the detonator. The seconds were ticking away. "Now would be a really good time to run." Grabbing Hayes' arm, she literally dragged him into the tunnels while pushing Romero ahead of her. "Ten, nine, eight, seven…"

Getting the idea, both men grabbed an arm and pulled Ensign Sato along as their powerful legs ate up dirt and sand while their focus remained on scanning for enemies ahead.

"Six, five, four…" she felt herself being lifted and held aloft between the two MACOs as they move even faster through the narrow tunnel, if that was even possible. "Three, two…"

"Brace yourselves," Hayes called out as he and Romero pulled Hoshi around a corner and pressed themselves against the wall.

Squeezing her eyes shut, "One."

For a second: nothing.

Romero and Hayes looked startled. Then the roar shook the entire tunnel throwing sand and dirt at everything before raining chunks of rock upon them. Hoshi cried out as something sharp and painful hit her back. Hayes rolled across Hoshi's body, shielding her from cascade of rubble coming down upon them. The dusting of rocks had almost stopped when the second explosion erupted; nearly toppling all three officers as the ground underfoot rolled and their footing began to give.

"Shit!" Romero shoved the two officers ahead of him as the tunnels began to come down upon them.

Scrambling along as best as she could with rocks flying and uneven ground, Hoshi was literally pushed ahead of the other two and shoved clear as she heard the horrible sound of the rocks grinding against one another as they began to come apart.

"Move," Hayes shouted as he reached back and grabbed Romero's arm, pulling the MACO forward and throwing the two of them free just as the tunnel behind them collapsed mere inches from their feet.

The dust, kicked up as the rocks settled into place, made it nearly impossible to see for a moment, even with all three lights still in working condition. Hoshi coughed and waved a hand in front of her face, eyes squinting through the polluted air. She pulled the remote for the second explosive from the pocket on her right arm. Major Hayes must have landed on it when he moved to shield her. With sigh, she looked again through the dusty air. "Major? Corporal? You guys still alive?"

Romero coughed once and groaned as he rolled onto his back, feeling every joint on his body creak and crack. "Just barely. You, Major?"

There was no response.

"Major?" Romero was on his knees in a blink of an eye.

"Major Hayes?" Hoshi shone the light into the major's face making him and wince and shield his eyes. "Oh good, you're alive."

Coughing, Matt shook his head and bit back a groan even as a bolt of lighting pain radiated across his shoulder. Unable to hold it back, he gave a muffled cry as he rolled to his side. "Oh hell."

"What is it, Major?" Romero asked as he reached out one-handed to help his commander while the other hand still clutched the rifle to his side.

Hayes pulled away and clinched his teeth tightly before sitting up, letting out a cry of pain as he finally maneuvered into an upright position and felt gravity pull against his injuries. "My shoulder is dislocated."

Biting her lip, Hoshi knelt by him. "What can I do?"

Shaking his head, "Nothing right now," Hayes leaned back slightly against the crumbling wall, unsettling another fine layer of sand and dust. His arm had gone numb with the pain but he knew that the worst was yet to come. Looking up, "Jason?"

Understanding the personal nature of the request by the Major's use of his first name, Corporal Romero nodded and handed his rifle to Ensign Sato. "I'm going to help relocate his shoulder. You know how to use one of these?"

Taking the rifle, Hoshi braced the heavy weapon against her right side and unlocked the safety with her thumb, her trigger finger pressed lightly against the firing mechanism. "I think I still remember from my training days." She gave them both a weak smile. "Admiral Hammett always said there are two things you need to learn if you're the weakest link in the chain."

Jason grinned as he felt around the major's shoulder, feeling the hollow in the joint. For someone who just nearly escaped certain death, he was feeling quite chipper at the moment. "Two things to learn: how fire a gun and how to run."

Swinging the scope light back and forth in the dusty air, Hoshi nodded her head. "I see you were taught from the same school of survival training."

"Nah, it's just common sense," Romero braced his feet. "Ready?"

Hayes closed his eyes and gave a stiff nod. He didn't see the great jerk Romero gave his limp arm but he certainly felt it. Acid on flesh was the only description for the pain. Letting out a cry that helped to ease the pain, Matt sat there panting for a moment, forcing back the darkness that threatened his senses.

"You alright, Major?"

Matt's warped sense of humor chose that exact moment to rear its ugly head. "After living through that lovely hell, for which I cheerfully curse you, and having you drool all over me that one night, I think we're at an intimate enough level of our relationship for you to call me Matt."

Romero stared eyes wide with shock; it was the first time he'd heard his commander crack a joke, and in the field no less. "Major, are you feeling alright?" he made a quick visual check of the major's skull but found no obvious aberrations.

Not having known the major all that long and not accustomed to his usual mode and mood of operations, Hoshi took it for exactly what it was, a grouchy comment from an aching body. "Can I just politely point out who is holding the big stick of destruction at this very moment?"

Jason winced. "You didn't just call…"

But Matt took it all in stride. "Point taken," and stood with some reluctance. Rolling his newly relocated shoulder painfully then leaning over to rub his calf where a rather large piece of what use to be the tunnel had landed, Hayes prepared himself for the next phase. "Let's get going, people. Reed is probably moving the rest of the team into place now."

"And we can't let the good lieutenant have all the fun," Romero added cheerfully.

"Right."

-&-&-&-

"Travis…"

"Hang on," Mayweather called out as the shuttle made a nosedive into the moon's atmosphere.

"Oh god, we're all going to die," Briggins muttered as he clutched the sides of his seat until he could no longer feel his knuckles. Even the gravity unit in the shuttle couldn't compensate for the sudden pressure and speed.

"Please tell me you know what you're doing!" Jennifer Langely said as she grabbed the control panel with both hands and tried to look away from the quickly approaching landmass. "Oh Christ!"

"Mayweather!" Howards shouted just seconds before the shuttle made the tightest U-turn possible shot straight back up toward the planetary atmosphere. "Shit!"

"Oh god, I'm going to be sick." Jennifer pressed one hand to her mouth as the pressure from the movement flatted her against her seat back, making it impossible to do anything but sit there and watch with horror as they broke through the ozone layer and into the space once more.

A great jerk accompanied the sudden deceleration of the ship, startling everyone but the competent helmsman that was still watching the pressure gage on the engines. In the silence of the moment, Travis made minor adjustments as they rode the rotational pull of the planet. "Okay, ETA to the ship is twenty minutes."

Corporal David Chang swallowed once, and then twice, then again when he still wasn't sure his stomach contents weren't going to make another appearance. "What was that for? And if you say that you did just because you can, you're going to die a very slow and agonizing death."

"Would I do a thing like that?" Travis asked innocently as he grinned at the friendly MACO officer. The last two hours had been pleasantly informative when not particularly terrifying.

"I don't know, you always have to watch the innocent looking ones. They're the ones that always manage to get the last laugh." Jeremy Briggins murmured as he checked his own instruments to make sure they could still activate the homing beacons from where they were. "We have to activate in thirteen minutes or we move out of range."

"Cynical, aren't we?" Jennifer asked as she enjoyed what could be the last few peaceful moments for a while to come. "Howards, you want to wait on the countdown?"

Benjamin Howards closed his eyes for a moment to regain some of the equilibrium Ensign Mayweather had so eagerly taken, "Yeah, let's give ourselves a little less running time and a little more distance."

"Sounds like a plan," Jennifer sighed and stared at Mayweather for a moment. "Now why did you decide that it would be funny to see if you can make all of us hurl?"

Grinning wide to make his youthful face even more innocent-like, Travis shook his head at them. "You can blame this one on Lt. Cdr. Meyers. He said it would be great idea to use the planet's gravity pull to gain enough speed to push us through the second ozone without burning too much fuel and leaving a trace. That last exit was mostly on momentum built by our entry."

"Remind me to kill Meyers," Langley muttered.

"Great," Howards sighed and sat back as Chang and Briggins prepared the remotes. "The engineers are playing roller coaster physics. I'm so glad _someone_ is enjoying this."

"ETA, ten minutes," Briggins suddenly announced.

"What?" Howards and Langley both sat up straighter.

"Enterprise has moved," Chang said as he used the short range scanners, "Looks like they're on an intercept course."

"They're using engines," Travis warned as he watched his screen carefully. "The Reptilians are going to spot them any moment now."

Howard got up and went to Briggins's station, "Then let's given them another target to look at. Activate the first two beacons, wait ten seconds and then the third."

Briggins nodded, a little too eager to get it started. "Okay, here we go."

-&-&-&-

Archer leaned further out from this chair. "What are you reading Tanner?"

Tanner's hand moved across the console nervously. "I've got three Star Fleet signals sir."

Feeling his heart rate pick up just a bit, Jon waited a moment before turning to his science officer. "T'Pol?"

"The Reptilians appear not to have…" her sentence trailed as she watched her monitors. "They have detected the signatures."

"And?"

T'Pol looked up with a raised brow of interest. "Three Reptilian ships are moving to intercept."

Archer resisted the urge to jump up and pump his fist in the air but he could stop his grin from bloom across his face. "Has our shuttle returned?"

"ETA, two minutes."

"Ensign Clancy," the captain moved down from his seat to clap the young pilot's shoulder. "Once the shuttle returns to bay, move us closer the planet. We need to be ready to pick up the away team when they appear and not allow the rest of the Reptilian ships to target them first."

"Captain," Lt. Durley called out, his concern clearly written on his face. "What if the away team isn't ready by the time the warheads go off?"

T'Pol turned to watch the captain, a little surprised that another would voice the same question she's been reminding the captain of for hours now. It would definitely an answer she would dearly love to hear.

"Have faith Durley," Archer said with a smile. "We'll solve that problem when we get there."

Durley nodded his head in acceptance then glanced at Clancy, who nodded his head in return.

The sub-commander was certain she was the only one on the bridge that was unsatisfied by that particular response. Humans and their complete lack of logic and trust in faith were simply beyond her understanding.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line: "I'm sure the major can be highly creative when he wants to be."


	15. Buried

**Between A Rock and…**** Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** Hey _The Libran Iniquity,_ are you still reading these thing? Okay, here we go… I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. (If I did it would be purely by coincidence and therefore I really shouldn't be punished for it… right?) This is purely pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. (Though I'm dirt poor and really would use the money.) Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. Are we all good now? Good.

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Chapter Summary: **The Away Team does their thing and meets with a little unexpected problem. Enterprise engages the enemy and gets ready to mount a rescue.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Oh…. I thought I would be done by Chapter 15 but as I was writing it, it just got longer and longer and longer… so I had to split it into two; and I'm still not done with the second half. (sigh) Thank you all for your patience.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Fifteen – Buried**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Captain…"

"Hold your position." Archer's eyes were watching the three ships move out as one. There was a moment of hesitation before the three spread out to investigate the dummy signals. "ETA on the shuttle?"

"Two minutes," T'Pol replied calmly as her eyes continued to scan for any disturbances.

"I want Travis up here the minute the shuttle lands," Archer ordered without any heat. He paused for a moment, not sure if his order reflected his preference to the space boomer or his lack of trust upon Ensign Clancy. "Alpha shift positions everyone."

"Sir?"

Jon took a moment not to sigh out loud. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"The second ship still orbiting the planet, it's moving."

Before anyone could react to that piece of news, T'Pol's voice cut across the confusion even as she turned to look through her viewer. "Captain, there's an explosion thirteen hundred kilometers away."

"One of ours?" Archer asked, halfway out of his seat.

Lt. Durley double checked. "Yes, sir." He looked up and grinned. "And the second patrol ship is moving toward them."

Ensign Clancy laughed. "And then there was one."

"We can handle one," Archer replied cheerfully. "Keep scanning Lieutenant, I want to know when the away team is ready for pick up. T'Pol, let me know the minute the shuttle is…"

"Shuttle two has landed," T'Pol answered calmly.

"Tanner, get me the shuttle bay."

"Channel open," Tanner answered trying to hide his excited grin. Everyone on the bridge was feeling it…the exhilaration of winning a point for the team.

"Welcome back, people."

"Thank you sir," Lt. Langley answered then winced as she bumped her head on the shuttle door. Her legs weren't all too steady yet. "Mission accomplished."

"We've already seen some of the results," Archer answered and clapped a hand on Ensign Clancy's shoulder. "Good job everyone but it's not over yet. Travis, I need you on the bridge; everyone else, alpha shift positions."

"Yes sir."

Jon resisted the urge to jump up and down and cheer. Things were going swimmingly. Now all they needed was some sign that the away team was doing their part. "Ensign, move us in closer but keep the Reptilians in the dark until we're ready."

"I'll try sir."

"That's all I'm asking."

Clancy turned, startled by the uncharacteristically generous reply from the usually demanding captain. "Yes, sir."

-&-&-&-

"Holy crap," Jimmy Sanchez reached out and grabbed a protrusion in the wall as the cavern shook from the unexpected second explosion with enough force to throw Coates and Kemper to the ground. DeMarco was only saved from landing on his rear by falling into Lt. Jamison, who _did_ land on his ass. "How much charge did you give them?"

"Not nearly enough for that," Reed said as he levered himself off the wall and glanced down at the gash on his forearm. "I'm sure the major can be highly creative when he wants to be."

"And I'm sure that was all Hoshi; the major is way too busy watching her back to be creative right now," Coates replied as she got to her feet quickly and took the lower position as they looked around the corner at where the Reptilians had been stationed.

"They're moving," Sgt. Kemper muttered as he waved his hand behind his back, motions for the others to stay close to the walls.

"If that didn't get their attention, I ain't sure what would," Tucker mumbled as he flattened himself against the wall, weapon in one hand and scanner in the other. Trip ignored the slightly throbbing of his shoulder from when he had fallen.

The sound of boots crunching the loosened rubble on the ground drew closer, making everyone hold their breath, then passed at a pace that announced their unhappiness at the interruption. When the last of the Reptilian troops were well on their way, Reed glanced around the corner quickly, scanning in one second the area in which they must now take control of.

Leaning back against the wall again, Malcolm glanced back at the rest of the group. "Four guards, three on the right, one on the left further into the cavern. Sanchez, Coates, DeMarco, take your pick of the right side. I'll handle the one on the left. Kemper, take the front passage and make sure we're not going to get overrun by the enemy while we secure the location. Commander, if you and Jamison would watch our backs…"

"My pleasure," Trip drawled as they all moved as one.

The MACO had a reputation and that reputation was good. Reed had barely turned from his own downed target before the MACO crew was already spreading out and securing the room. He'd give Hayes one thing, he's got incredibly disciplined men… and women.

"Kemper," Reed whispered. "Recon."

Nodding once, Kemper disappeared into the dark tunnel that would take them to their main objective as the rest of the team waited.

Kemper reappeared a minute later. "Six guards, three on each side," he reported under his breath as he pressed his back to the uneven wall. "The de-stabilizer isn't small."

"I didn't expect it to be," Tucker replied as he looked to Reed. Right now, this was Reed's show and he knew better than to interfere. There was no toe stepping on _Enterprise_… well, except for maybe armory and MACO but that was another story all together.

Reed pointed to their exit route. "DeMarco, Sanchez." He didn't want to be doubled back on. He didn't even watch the two move into place as he took position on the other side of the passage to the de-stabilizer.

Tucker moved into position next to Reed. "I need at least thirty seconds to do preliminary scans."

"Depending on who's on the other side of that cavern, you may only get that," Reed whispered back as he pulled the charge from his pack. This wasn't how he had wanted to go at this but beggars couldn't be choosers. "You scan, Jamison set up the bomb; Kemper and I will lead the way in and cover the third passage. Coates, you're covering the commander." Malcolm gave Trip a look that allowed no arguments. His first job was to see to the safety of the crew.

Sgt. Coates nodded her head and gave the chief engineer a smile of reassurance.

"We move on three."

-&-&-&-

"Captain?"

"Yeah?" Jon answered without lifting his eyes from the formations of the enemy ships. He silently cheered each kilometer the ships moved away from the planet. The whole bridge crew cheered loudly when the second torpedo activated and crippled another Reptilian ship.

"Captain?"

"What is it, T'Pol?" still not looking up, he was crossing his fingers as to the third torpedo. Because each beacon was planted so close to the heavy radiation produced by the moons within the gravity well, the Reptilians were unable to communicate with each other. Bonus points to the armory for that extra advantage.

"The volcanoes, Captain."

That finally got Archer's attention. Looking up, he was greeted with the heat sensory map they had viewed before… only it wasn't quite as he remembered it. "Why is that section red?"

"There is an increase of activity in that area," T'Pol replied calmly. "It would appear the…" she attempted to find the human equivalent of the Vulcan term _pi'yontaya_, "Slow burn has become a… rapid eruption."

"Are our people…" he stopped himself. "Belay that, you couldn't possibly know." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. _"Just when you think all is going right in the world…" _Watching the screen and the areas marked in red, he had a sinking feeling that was exactly where the away team had headed into. "Lt. Durley, what's the status on the torpedoes?"

"Nothing on the third one, sir."

"Keep scanning I want…" he turned as the lift doors hissed open.

Ensign Mayweather stepped onto the bridge and greeted his fellow helmsman with a nod before sliding into the vacated seat at the controls.

"Travis, I need you to do a little hide and seek with the Reptilians for a while," Archer said with a grim smile. "Until we know that the other scout ships are…"

"Captain," T'Pol called out as she looked across the bridge at Lt. Durley, who nodded his confirmation. "The third torpedo has detonated."

Jon looked up startled. "Ask and ye shall receive," he couldn't help but mutter under his breath, ignoring the stifled laugh from Mayweather. "And?"

Durley grinned even as his slightly hindered scanners made a mess of the readings, forcing him to revert to using visuals. "And I don't believe the patrol ship around the planet is going to get any backup, sir."

"And the fourth ship that went out to investigate the first explosion?"

"He's still picking up the pieces of his companions sir."

"Excellent," Archer smiled and looked at T'Pol. "I think it's time to go rescue our away team. Travis, take us in, get us close and keep us close. Durley, time to let the Reptilians know we're around. T'Pol, monitor the volcanic activities and get our second team ready. If we have to beam them to the surface, let's get our best engineer in the transporter room. I want my people back."

-&-&-&-

"Hoshi? We're not lost, right?" Jason Romero finally asked after several minutes of apprehensive wondering as Hoshi took them into another alternate route from the way they had come in. The second explosion had done a lot more damage than they had thought or could have expected. Several of the smaller tunnels had collapsed upon their search. They could only be thankful that this was a less traveled area of the labyrinth.

"We're not lost," Hoshi replied as she took another turn carefully. She was learning caution… finally. "We're taking an alternate route since the one we came from is now closed."

"And this will set us back how long?" Romero asked as he glanced at Major Hayes. The major looked pale in the limited light but still as alert as ever. What surprised Jason was how quiet the major was regarding Ensign Sato taking point again. Not that they really had a choice at this point.

"A lot longer if you keep distracting me with questions," Hoshi muttered as she peeked around the corner then shone her light against the wall. "Damn it."

"What is it?" Hayes breathed out without sounding too labored. The truth of the matter was, he was exhausted and in a lot of pain. His relocated arm was painful to use, his legs were bruised and his head was still sore from his last visit to the ground.

Hoshi shook her head in resignation. "We'll have to loop around the…" Her sensitive ears picked up something. Leaning forward, Hoshi pressed her ears against the rough wall and concentrated for a moment. "Oh my god," she turned and grabbed the two men by the arm. "This way," she called softly over her shoulder as she doubled back again.

Hayes and Romero didn't hesitate to follow even if their curiosity was straining at the reins. Rounding one corner after another, the MACOs were hard pressed to remember where they were and how far they had gone when Hoshi suddenly disappeared into a crevice.

Romero pulled up short. "What the…"

Reappearing with exasperation showing on her dirt smudged face, Hoshi reached out and pulled on the two officers' arms. "Get in here."

She had no sooner pulled the two men into the relative safety of the unobtrusive crack in the tunnel walls when she heard the shuffling of heavy feet on loose sand. Pressing her ear against the wall, she listened as it drew closer and closer and closer until she no longer needed to strain to detect the tell-tale signs of approaching enemy nor explain to the two men had that been watching her curiously.

Tugging gently on her arm, Hayes maneuvered Hoshi further into the limited space and situated himself at the entrance of the little cranny she had shoved them all in.

Jason took hold of Hoshi when the major passed her onto him, making sure she didn't run into any protrusions along their hiding place. Then before she could protest, Jason shifted positions with her putting her further from the entrance so that the enemy would have to go through the major then Romero before getting to Ensign Sato.

When the last of the footsteps faded away, Hoshi reached out and stopped Hayes before he could peek around the corner. Putting her finger on her lips to shush them, she pressed her ear to the wall again. After a moment, "They're gone."

"Good catch," Hayes whispered.

"That's what I'm here for," she leaned back against the wall for a moment, exhausted from all the tension.

"You all right?" Romero asked with some concern.

"Oh peachy, I just love running for my life," she muttered tiredly. A thought occurred to her suddenly. "They must have been moving this way because the tunnels had collapsed on them; same as us." Her mind went back to before all hell broke loose. "I didn't use that much charge."

"Just enough to bring down the house," Hayes replied as he looked over the edge again, making sure their way was clear. "Let's move."

"Wait," she reached around Romero and grabbed the major's arm.

"What is it?" Jason asked, concerned that they were going to end up in a firefight after all.

"The tunnels," she emphasized. "They must be destabilizing."

The two men exchanged quick confused glances.

Hoshi shook her head as she reasoned it through. "The volcanoes must be becoming more active, shifting the foundations around here, that's why the tunnels are coming down so quickly. The charges I set shouldn't have affected the structural integrity the way it did unless everything was on its way down already."

Matt understood where she's going with this and didn't particularly enjoy the idea. "Then let's not linger here."

-&-&-&-

Malcolm dropped to his knee and kept his phase rifle at shoulder length, firing with precision that he usually only reserved for target practice. They didn't have time to be messy right now, not when there were too many things to do and obviously too little time to do it. "Commander!" The squadron of Reptilians on the other side of the cavern _should_ have been expected.

"One more second," Trip called out as he watched the scanning process run through.

"We're not going to have another second real soon, Commander. You've gotta step on it," Kemper retorted as he pulled the trigger once more. He silently commended Lt. Reed for his efficiency. With the Lieutenant's precision targeting, the two of them were able to hold back the advancing enemy fairly well. But there was no way in hell he was taking a chance of there being more backup for this little group of friendly faces.

Trip's hand continued to move across his scanner. "Coates, help out the boys will ya?"

"Coates, stay where you are," Reed ordered as he dropped another Reptilian then had to duck as a cascade of rumbling rocks came down upon him. He rolled clear of the small avalanche but found himself in the open. He didn't wait to see anyone's reaction before pointing the nozzle of his rifle toward the enemy once more. "Commander!"

"I'm done, I'm done," Trip called out as he popped the data chip into his hand and zipped it into his pocket before tossing the scanner into his backpack. "Jamison!"

"Setting the timer," Jamison replied as his controls turned from green to red. "We've got forty-five seconds."

Reed reached into a pocket and pulled out a grenade, flicking the switch with his thumb and tossing it with shout, "Pull back!" The rest of the away team managed to shield their eyes before the flash grenade went off, temporarily blinding anyone unfortunate enough to have been looking; and in this case, it was most of the Reptilian guards. "I'll cover our rear. Coates, lead the way out!"

Katie took point just as Kemper joined up with her. Motioning with one arm to have their flanks covered, she moved passed DeMarco and Sanchez while mentally counting down the time. She was almost running when her internal clock counted down to twenty. "Let's move people!" she hollered as everyone picked up speed.

The away team had gone around a bend when they literally ran headlong into Major Hayes and Ensign Sato. Obviously, neither one had been expecting company. Hayes's quick reflexes had his rifle at Sgt. Coates's throat before he recognized her but his training taught him to be sure before firing. Coates wasn't quite so disciplined, she reacted out of instinct and fired.

Romero barely pulled Sato out of the way in time.

Before Coates could stammer a word of apology, Kemper gave her a shove and shouted, "Major, you're going the wrong way!"

Hayes didn't need any more explanation than that. Turning, he pulled Sato out of Romero's arms and propelled her back the way she had just been coming from. "Get us out _now_!

Hoshi pushed her fears into the back of her mind and responded to the command. She pulled Kemper with her as she took point once more. "This way!"

"Move, people, move!" Tucker hollered from yonder as he glanced at the controls Jamison had handed him. "Ten, nine…"

"We'll never make it," Hayes called out ahead of him. "We need shelter!"

"Hoshi!" Romero shouted to get her attention.

"I need a moment," Hoshi screamed as she scanned the characters they ran by.

"We don't have a moment!" Sanchez bellowed.

The blue markers on the wall saved Hoshi from blistering someone with an unkind remark about not rushing her. "This way," she rounded the corner at a dead run, neglecting any effort to be cautious. But in situations such as this, she was certain she would be forgiven… or dead, in which case she wouldn't have to worry about being in trouble.

The explosion shook every molecule of the tunnels before Jamison and Reed got to the small cavern Hoshi had managed to locate in the last possible second. Tucker reached out and took hold of their arms as the ceiling began to crumble around them. Dust, sand and other unspeakable things came flooding in around them.

Everyone averted their faces and waited for the dust to settle. There was coughing aplenty for a moment as the rumbling finally stopped. And then there was silence.

Trip gave himself a few deep breaths before croaking out, "Everyone alright?" He felt as if sandpaper had been rubbed along his esophagus a few million times.

Jamison groaned and rolled onto his back from where he had fallen when the Commander had pulled him to safety. "Something hit my ankle," and well he knew it. Every movement was like a thousand needles jabbing him.

Kemper, closest to the entrance, moved to examine the engineer, and as he shifted his arms he felt a stabbing pain at his side. "Oh Christ!"

Romero called out to his best friend. "Ethan?"

Leaning against the wall, Ethan Kemper took a few deep breaths to calm his pounding heart. Setting his rifle down, he pulled his combat suit open and examined the wound on his side. A long wide gash just under his bottom most rib spilled blood down his right side, dyeing his pants a crimson color that almost blended into his brown uniform. With the pain so intense, he was a little surprised he hadn't noticed it until now.

"That looks like a burn," Hayes murmured as he flashed his scope light across the messy lesion. Carefully examining it with the pads of his fingers, he shook his head. "Were you shot?"

Kemper shrugged with one shoulder. "I must have been."

Coates frowned as she knelt by Kemper's side, nudging Romero away. "How do you not notice getting shot?" Pulling bandages from her backpack, as she was the only one of the MACOs that had insisted on keeping their emergency medical supply thought it added weight, she moved carefully over him to bind the wound tightly. If she had needle and thread she'd it stitch up first to stop the bleeding. Kemper gave a hiss of pain. "Don't be a big baby Eth," she teased even as she winced with sympathy and tried to be gentler. It was going to hurt like mad for a while.

Sanchez carefully extracted Jamison's foot from his shoe. "Can you feel that?" he questioned, putting a tiny fraction of a touch against the already swollen ankle.

Jamison clinched his teeth against the pain and nodded his head firmly. If he so much as opened his mouth he'd start hollering like a child.

Twisting the foot slowly, Sanchez shook his head. The bruises were already appearing around the joints and the swelling had doubled the size. "It's sprained but not broken," he pronounced as he reached into his backpack and pulled out two extra energy cells. "He can't put any weight on it or it'll make it worse. We'll have to carry him." Checking the safety switches, he used the two cells to hold Jamison's ankle in place before binding it with the bandages DeMarco handed him.

"Anyone else?" Reed asked with concern as he gazed at the darkened hole that had once been the entrance. A good portion of the tunnel beyond it had disappeared.

"Hoshi?" Katie Coates called out over her shoulders. "Are you still in one piece? Did I hit you?"

"No, I'm fine," Hoshi replied as she wiped her hands off. "Major? How's your shoulder?"

"What happened to the major's shoulder?" Tucker asked.

"He dislocated it earlier," Romero answered, then grunted as Kemper's hand tightened on his arm with pain. Ethan looked ready to pass out as Coates pulled the binding tighter to apply pressure to the still bleeding wound. The white bandages were already showing spots of red.

"How'd you..."

"You all right, Major?" Reed asked, concern written clearly on his face. The number of people down now was unacceptable.

Hayes glared at Kemper then Sato for revealing his injuries to the group. The last thing he wanted was everyone being concerned over his welfare. "We ran into some unexpected problems."

"What kind of…"

"Is that why there were two explosions rather than…"

"Was anyone else…"

"How many…"

"Guys!" Hayes held up his hand. It never ceased to amaze him how the brains of the most brilliant people manage to ignore the bigger picture. "Let's focus on the important things and leave the explanations for later. Right now, we need a way out." He paused to make sure he had everyone's attention. "Hoshi?"

Ensign Sato looked around the cavern for a moment. "I didn't exactly have a whole lot of time to decide on which way we were…" She took a breath and decided not to dwell upon it. "Okay, our original exit route is no longer an option right now. We need to go pass three more passages before we come to a junction with four tunnels. The second to the right is the one we want. It will take us around the side and out. We'll bypass the main entryway."

"Can you get us there?" Reed asked.

Giving the darkened and half buried entrance a dubious look, Hoshi smiled weakly and said, "Sure," with all the enthusiasm she wished she felt but didn't. She got up, took a breath to calm her nerves and climbed into the space still available to her in the opening.

"Wait," Romero and Hayes reached out at the same time and grabbed Hoshi's arm.

Matt Hayes immediately regretted his hasty movement and made the most uncomfortable noise with the back of his throat before letting go. Everything from his collarbone to his middle finger on his left arm went painfully numb. He hated dislocations, they were sometimes worse than clean breaks; at least then you can't use the arm period.

"Major, you all right?" Kemper and Coates asked at the exact same time.

It took a moment for Hayes to answer. "I'm fine," he said a little breathless. He regarded Hoshi with a _look_ that spelled doom if she said a word. "Do you ever learn to be careful?" he couldn't help but ask. Wishing he didn't have to send another, he turned towards the rest of the team. "Romero?"

Jason nodded and motioned Hoshi out of the way. "I'll take point, you guide me."

Seeing the warning look on Hayes' face, Hoshi refrained from pointing out the waste of manpower. "We'll be back."

-&-&-&-

"Transporter room, what's your status?" Jonathan Archer barked out as he gripped the arms of his chair for support.

"We're still too far from the surface," Lt. Lingley replied as her stiff fingers stayed on the controls. She glanced across the platform to where Lt. McKinsie's team, which included Corporals Hawkins and Chang along with Ensign Tanner along for translations, stood silently awaiting their drop off. None of them looked nearly as nervous as she felt.

Archer clinched his teeth and closed his eyes in frustration for a moment. "Travis, we need to get closer."

Ensign Mayweather felt a trickle of sweat roll down his back between his tense shoulders. Practiced fingers moved across the controls without hesitation as he moved the ship into a tight circle, going the wrong direction.

"Ensign!" Archer snapped as he watched the planet disappear from the view screen.

"Torpedo approaching," Durley called out hurriedly.

Archer grabbed hold of his temper before he exploded again. "Lieutenant, a little more warning next time would not be remiss." Getting up, he walked to the pilot's chair and clapped a hand on Mayweather's tense shoulder. "Keep doing what you're doing, Travis but we need to get our rescue team on the surface."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Travis replied as his brow wrinkled with concern. "Captain, how long would I have to hold position for the transport?"

"Lt. Lingley?" the captain called out through the intercom.

"I need at least eights seconds at ten thousand kilometers," Jennifer Lingley replied calmly enough as she silently prayed she was correct in her estimation. She'd done plenty of simulations to test her time limits on the transporter sequencing but they'd all be dry runs, nothing live. And now they were adding the motion of the ship and enemy fire? Oh man…

"You heard the lieutenant, Travis," Archer said with a grim look as the ship made another turn. "We need to get closer."

Mayweather made a disagreeable noise with his throat as the enemy ship forced him to veer off again. His frustration was audible as he spoke. "The Reptilians are on our tail. I can't get within a hundred thousand kilometers much less ten without them taking a chunk of metal from our starboard side."

Archer moved to Durley. "Give Mayweather some room to maneuver."

"Take out their thrusters," Mayweather muttered. "That ought to slow them down some."

The Captain almost smiled as Lt. Durley looked up in surprise. Mayweather was considered one of the pacifists on the ship; for him to suggest such an act…. "Well Lieutenant? You heard Ensign Mayweather, aim for their thrusters."

Durley grinned. "Yes, sir."

"Transporter room."

"Here, Captain."

"Get ready to drop our people on the ground."

"Yes, sir."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Teaser Line : Had he been able to stand up without groaning, Matt would have made a speedy exit. _"Oh god, she's not going to…"_


	16. Breath of Relief

**Between A Rock and…**** Another Big Rock**

By Didi

**Disclaimer:** Okay, here we go, last one. I do not own any of the recognized characters, places or things in this story. This is purely pleasure writing and no profit shall be made from it. Any copyright infringement I may be committing is unintentional and without malice. There, I've cover all the bases I can think of for now. On with the story….

**Rating:** PG 13 for now.

**Story Summary:** The crew goes hunting underground.

**Timeline: **Set before the episode "Azati Prime" in Season 3.

**Author's Note:** Done, done, I'm finally done. (sigh) I'm going to miss the MACO's, I was beginning to really love writing them.

**Spoiler**: Everything up through "The Hatchery." (I'm being nicely cautious here.)

**Key:** "Spoken" _"Thoughts" _

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

**Chapter Sixteen – Breath of Relief**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"We should be coming up to another junction soon," Hoshi said loudly before coughing to dislodge the dirt that drifted into her throat. Hell, everything about her was covered in dirt at the moment.

"You sure?" Jason Romero asked as he shifted his rifle every few meters they crawled. The small space they had begun with grew less comfortable as they moved along what had once been a nicely established tunnel. "Man, that blast really brought down the house."

Hoshi swallowed back her fears and concentrated on the Corporal's words; it was the only way she was going to get through this little experience. "We knew they had picked a location that we didn't have to fear destroying. I didn't take into account how new these tunnels are and that there's still an active volcano below and around us. The stability of this place was questionable. I guess we used a little too much explosive."

"Hey, it's not your job to think of these things," Romero pointed out as he crawled a little faster. He could well imagine how the enclosed space must be affecting the jittery ensign. He wasn't claustrophobic and even _he_ was beginning to feel uncomfortable. "How much further?"

Pausing a moment, Hoshi glanced down at her map. "We actually should be…"

"Aaah…"

Hoshi looked up just in time to avoid being kicked by Romero's fraying legs as the rest of him slid down what looked like a sudden drop off. Stunned stupid, she could only stay there on her hands and knees staring at the darkness until she heard a painful thump. Wincing, she moved a little closer and called down, "Corporal? Corporal Romero, are you alright?"

Jason gave a muffled groan and untangled himself. His shoulder ached from where he had fallen and his rifle had jabbed him in the wrong place. "I'm alright."

"You sure?" Hoshi asked as she moved a little closer to the hole then nearly lost her balance. It was difficult to see in the darkness and she could now understand why the Corporal had fallen the way he did.

Jason shook his head to dislodge the gravel and sand Hoshi had accidentally rained upon him. "I think the rest of this tunnel is clear."

"Good," Hoshi checked her map again. "Look further down; do you see a junction with four openings kind of…like the prongs of a fork?"

Despite the dirt, the aches and the uncomfortable darkness, Jason found himself chuckling. Taking several tentative steps, he swung his scope light back and forth, catching uneven ground and dusty walls. The strong scent of sea water did not bode well. "Hoshi?"

"Yes?" she answered with trepidation, wishing Corporal Romero wasn't all alone. "Did you find something?"

"How far from open water are we?"

Hoshi glanced down at her map. "Six hundred kilometers give or take. Why?"

"I smell salt water," Jason replied carefully making his way through the unfamiliar terrain. "I don't think we're that far out."

Nodding to herself, Hoshi silently concurred but said nothing of the sort. If the lava from the volcano had been eating away at the structure of the labyrinth, it wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility for them to be closer to the edge of the subterranean structure than they thought. Not an encouraging thought. "Have you found the fork yet?"

Romero's eyes had finally adjusted to the limited light after the trying fall when he found the markers. "I found it."

"Give me a description," Hoshi hollered as the corporal's voice became fainter in the distance.

"Four openings at ten, twelve, two and four."

"That's it!" Banging her head in her excitement on the low hanging ceiling of the tunnel, Hoshi had to pause a moment and wait for the dirt to settle around her once more before scooting around in her limited space. "Stay here, I'll get the others."

"Wait," Romero called back as he made his way back to the sloping entrance. "I'll go."

Refraining from rolling her eyes, Hoshi spoke into the darkness. "You're going to leave me here by myself when the enemy can show up at anytime from one of those tunnels?" If they thought she hadn't noticed the special care the MACOs had been taking with her safety, they were dead wrong. "And you'd have to climb up here and I'm not sure if those loose rocks could take your weight again."

Romero hesitated. On the one hand she was correct. There could be enemy troops still making their way down the various routes to the former location of the de-stabilizer. And the last thing he wanted was for Ensign Sato to be in the middle of a fire fight. On the other hand he knew that Hayes would not be happy were he to allow the ensign to move about on her own without protection. And he had no desire to attempt to scramble up a loose dirt slope he could just barely see. It was a tough call.

"Besides," Hoshi added. "We've been through these tunnels. There is no pitfall or danger. I'm going in a straight line back."

That did the trick. "Be careful."

"I will," Hoshi replied before moving off. It took her a good eight minutes to make her way back and before she could even call out, she felt two sets of hands reach out from the dark and pull her out at a speed that left her somewhat breathless. For a moment, she just stood there sandwiched between Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed slightly stunned.

"Well?" Sanchez asked impatiently.

"Where's Romero?" Hayes asked, glaring at the private. One would think after nearly a year under the major's command, James Sanchez would have curbed that impetuous tongue of things.

Hoshi wiped her hands hopelessly on her dirty pants. "The corporal is guarding the exit route we found. The tunnel between here and there is pretty bad; most of this section came down with the blast. We were actually pretty lucky not to have been completely buried in here." She gave Hayes a significant look. "You know how we talked about that wonderful little volcano below us? And what it's doing to the structural stability of these tunnels?"

Matt ground his teeth together for a moment. This mission had not gone right in _any_ way he could have predicted. "How long do we have?"

The ensign gave him a frown as if she thought he was deliberately being obtuse. "It's anybody's guess at this point. But I say we don't tempt fate and haul ass."

Sanchez leaned slightly toward Kemper and whispered, "Is she allowed to speak to him like that?"

Kemper shrugged then immediately regretted the thoughtless movement as it pulled on his wound.

"I agree with Hoshi," Tucker piped.

Reed nodded his head. "How big is the tunnel?"

"Most of the way we can comfortably walk on our hands and knees. There is a section about ten feet long that you'll have to literally wiggle through." She eyed Major Hayes' wide shoulders and made a face. "You boys might have some trouble getting through but Romero made it okay so you should too."

"Jason's more slender than the rest of us," Kemper complained in a mutter and used to the wall to lever himself up. "How does he stay so skinny? We eat together, train together…"

"Sleep together?" Coates suggested with a grin as she helped him up.

Ethan glared at her.

Reed cleared his throat pointedly. "Let's leave the horse playing for another time, people. Ensign Sato, you'll lead the way. Major Hayes, you'll go after the ensign." Malcolm stopped the inevitable protest before it even had a chance to leave the major's mouth. "You're one of the injured, whether you agree or not. My first priority is to complete the mission and get everyone back to the ship. And Romero could use another pair of guns on the other side as quickly as possible." The tense silence was painful but Hayes said nothing. "DeMarco, Jamison and Sanchez, you're next. Boys, you will need to watch Jamison."

"I'll be fine sir," Jamison broke in as he stood, one ankle lifted from the ground. "We're crawling, not walking; nothing wrong with my hands and knees."

Tucker patted his man on the back and nodded. "Nevertheless, we should take precautions and make sure you have help available should you need it."

Jamison accepted the concerns with a grim nod.

Malcolm took a breath and wished for a cup of Earl Gray. "Commander Tucker, if you'll go next followed by Kemper and Coates. I'll go last."

There were silent agreements before Hoshi took a deep breath and prepared herself to be plunged back into the cramped space. She could honestly say that this has been one of her worse assignments to date; and that included the dead aliens on hooks incident. "Oh by the way, at the end of the tunnel there's a bit of a drop."

Hayes stopped her with a hand on her arm. "A drop?"

Shrugging her shoulders, "A drop," Hoshi repeated. "Corporal Romero literally dropped into the next section of the tunnels. But it's the way out so all is well."

"He left you alone?" Hayes asked carefully.

Sato frowned at him. "He didn't have a choice. He kind of 'dropped off' my visual."

Kemper and Sanchez looked startled. "You mean he _fell_ into the drop?" Neither was sure whether they should be horrified or amused.

Hoshi nodded. "You can't see it until you're right on top of it. I'm surprised he didn't hurt himself," she said before climbing into the tunnel. "Stay close and don't wiggle too much, the dirt is pretty loose and you might bring the whole thing down if you move around too much."

DeMarco sighed and helped Jamison stand. "Oh, that's a comforting thought."

Jamison agreed as he hobbled over and watched Hayes' legs disappear into the darkness. "Especially coming from the claustrophobic one."

-&-&-&-

"Transporter room, get ready!"

Lt. Lingley's hand held steady on the controls.

"Approaching the planet," Mayweather called out over the ship's intercom as the rest of the crew felt a sudden acceleration, immediately sending everyone's stomach to their shoes.

"Six hundred kilometers," Lt. Durley announced tensely. "Five hundred."

"Prepare for transport," Lingley voiced thickly as her hands tightened on the controls.

"This is safe, right?" Tanner asked suddenly.

No one answered.

"Four hundred," Durley called out from the bridge. "Three."

"Transporter room," the captain warned again.

"Ready, sir," Lingley called out just to keep from getting irritated. _"Damn it to hell!" _She knew what she was doing and she certainly knew the severity of the mission.

Mayweather swung the ship around as Durley fired another round at the pursuing ship. "Lieutenant, you're not going to get that eight seconds you wanted."

"How long can you give me?" Jennifer hollered over the sudden muttering from the away team on the transporter platform.

"Five seconds, six tops," Mayweather yelled as the ship took a hit, rocking them so hard that the pilot nearly lost his seat. He spared a glare for Durley. "What happened to keeping them off our tail?"

Feeling irritated, embarrassed and add in a dash of real fear, "They're not exactly standing still for me to shoot at, _Ensign_," Durley shot back a little too harshly even in his own ears.

"Easy boys," Captain Archer said with a frown for both. The snipping at one another was difficult to handle at the moment. "Just do your best."

In the transporter room, the rest of the away team was listening to the exchange on the bridge. Lt. McKinsie shook her head at Lt. Lingley. "Don't do your best; do it _right_."

"No pressure, Jeannie," Jennifer replied as she grip the controls tighter. _"I will not mess up. I will not mess up."_

"Hey, not your life on the line here," Jean-Marie replied as she flashed her fellow travelers an encouraging look. "But we trust you."

"Yeah," Chang gripped his rifle a little tighter, partly to hide the fact that he was now wishing he were back on the shuttle with Ensign Mayweather, his stomach dropping acrobatics.

"Just drop us down and let us do the rest," Hawkins said quietly. He was the only one among them that didn't seem the least bit concerned with the uncertainty of the situation. Of course, he was the only one that had made his peace already. This was a dangerous mission to begin with, he was well aware of the dangers when he volunteered for this.

Tanner couldn't even voice his concerns. He was too afraid he'd start stammering excuses to get off the platform.

"Transporter room," Durley called out as he launched another volley for fire on the enemy, hitting their port side. All he needed was one clear shot at their tail end. "Two hundred kilometers."

"Get ready people," Lingley muttered as she watched her control readings.

"One-fifty," Durley hollered tensely.

"See you all planet-side," Jean Marie breathed as she continued to watch Lingley's face.

"One hundred."

"Transporter engaged," Jennifer said as her hands moved. "Good luck," she managed to call out as the away team disappeared from view.

Jean Marie McKinsie released the breath she hadn't even realize she was holding and nearly lost her grip on her phase rifle. The look on Jennifer Lingley's face just before she transported them down had not been reassuring and the commands being barked across the ship's comm. system certain didn't help any. She thanked the many saints that her mother made her pray to as a child that her molecules weren't scattered across the Delphic Expanse. "Everyone still in one piece?"

Ensign Tanner lost his lunch noisily in the nearest bush he could find.

"Most of us are," Dave Chang replied with a sympathetic smile as he took several shaky steps away and started his visual scans of the surrounding area. "Definitely preferred Mayweather's driving to that; and that's saying something. You okay, ensign?"

"Urgh," Donald Tanner replied as he pulled his water bottle out and rinsed his mouth. He felt has if he's just stepped off the gravity contraption Mayweather talked him into trying once. Why he listens to that boy… His stomach did another roll. "How do you stand it?"

"Practice," Hawkins offered with a grin as he continued to scan the local scenery. The clearing appeared secure but one never knows when something ugly may pop up. "When you've been trained by Killens, you are well used to it. General Killens says the transporter was going to be the wave of the future and we better get used to it."

Tanner shuddered as he looked down at his map. "Give me a nice safe shuttle any day."

Chang laughed.

"And how safe is a shuttle when you've got enemy fire all around?" Hawkins asked sweetly over his shoulders.

"Guys, can you discuss your philosophies on transportation some other time? We kind of have a job to do here." McKinsie said quietly as her sharp eyes watched the area around them. She wasn't about to let the boys know that her stomach was just as much in knots as the young ensign's. Only her extra experience in the field saved her from disgrace. "Tanner?"

The young linguist fervently wished he hadn't been the only other person on the ship to spoke Jukinarian. "According to Hoshi's files, the cavern should be this way. Due west."

"That's East," Chang corrected quietly as the three MACO's flanked the young ensign out of pure instinct.

A red-faced Tanner cleared his throat and nodded. "Right, I knew that."

-&-&-&-

The only thing that saved Katie Coates from embarrassing herself by screaming like a girl was her headfirst crash into Kemper's rump. The drop had been exactly how Hoshi had described it, sudden and unexpected.

"Owww…." Kemper rolled away as fast as he could but the damage was done and he was in _agony_. Pressing one hand against his side, he abandoned his weapon and prayed for a quick death.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Katie scrambled to her feet and knelt by her comrade's side. "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?" Kemper snapped irritably as he pulled himself away from the killer slide that nearly did him in. He did _not_ want Lt. Reed landing on him.

Malcolm gave a little gasp of surprise as he landed on his feet. After the third shriek of surprise, horror, fear, indignation and pain, he had decided it would probably be wise to go down feet first…especially when he saw Sgt. Coates disappear in front of him. Good thing too. "Everyone all right?"

"Define that will' ya?" Trip muttered as he rubbed his painful arm. Like the rest of the group, he hadn't seen their exit route and landed rather badly. This whole mission has been one trip to the ground after another; if he wasn't black and blue under his uniform he'd be surprised.

Lt. Reed sighed and silently wondered if that was a question in actual need of an answer. Then he decided it was safer to cover his bases, "Still mobile."

"Then we're all okay," came the disgustingly cheerful reply.

Hayes was barely tolerating the banter now. "Gentlemen, if you please?"

Trip threw the wounded major a sympathetic and apologetic look before motioning to their guide for this merry ride, "Hoshi, where to next?"

"This way," Ensign Sato said giving Romero a little nudge with her elbow. She did not need to be told twice to be careful.

Romero was silent as he took his lead with Hoshi's instructions. Moving cautiously through the darkened tunnels, they were an hour in when Hoshi's ears picked up footsteps. Scrambling into the covers of their cloaks, Romero and Sanchez just barely kept from doing major damage to the local magistrate that had been rushing down to assess damage from what they thought to be a major cave- in. Hoshi spend the next half hour working on the fly, creating a simply elaborate story as to how they had escaped the nearly fatal encounter with Mother Nature's wrath.

"What the hell is she telling them?" Sanchez muttered under his breath as the rest of the away team stood to one side, weapons hidden but ready.

"Whatever it takes to get us the hell outta here," Coates hissed back so low that it was barely audible.

"If that guy takes one more step toward her…" Romero murmured softly.

"Easy does it, Corporal," Hayes commanded with a careful eye on the three men that had created a semi-circle around their linguist. "Let's let her handle this."

"What happened to 'watch her?'" Jason asked his commander with just the right hint of amusement then tightened his hand on his weapon just as Hoshi took a step closer to hear something one of the men was explaining. "She's taking an awful big risk in…"

Hoshi bowed her head in acknowledgement of something said and the three men return the show of respect before turning on their heels and heading deeper into the catacombs. Hurrying over, "We gotta go," she announced without preamble and headed into another tunnel.

"What happened?" Reed asked as he turned around to make sure DeMarco and Sanchez were still watching their six.

"According to the locals," Hoshi whispered as shined her light on the wall to read the writings as they passed. "Two parties landed topside about one standard cycle ago," she turned and explained before anyone can ask, "That's approximately forty-seven minutes our time." She shook her head at them and continued on, indicating with one finger where Romero was to go. "Looks like Reptilians sent back-up."

The horrified silence lasted all of half a second.

"Let's try not to run into them," Kemper suggested causally then hissed as he stepped into a slight dip in the ground and jarred his body. "I'm not sure I would like another run-in."

"You won't get any arguments from me," Sanchez murmured with sigh.

"You holding up okay, Eth?" Katie Coates asked by his side.

Kemper nodded his head grimly. "Let's go home; I need a bath."

"I second that," Romero said as he turned into another path.

"We're almost there, people," Trip said cheerfully and kept pace with Jamison's hobbling steps.

Hoshi paused a moment to stare at a few signs, "That way."

Romero cursed silently as a shot just barely missed taking his right ear off before striking the wall next to him as they came into a wide cavern, lit with torches and guarded by the enemy. As he pulled back a step, Romero brought his weapon out of hiding and fired without a second's hesitation. "Take cover!"

Hayes grabbed Sato's arm and thrust her at Kemper before taking position on one knee, firing volleys of charges to give the rest of the team time to get behind stone protections.

Kemper forgot all about the pain at his side as he pushed Ensign Sato behind a large rock and got into position next to her, providing cover fire for the major as Hayes took cover further up. Coates rolled across the open path to the cavern entrance and took position behind and to the right of Hayes. Sanchez and DeMarco abandoned Jamison to cover their rears as they followed Reed and Tucker into the fray.

Staggering themselves around the entrance, giving each other cover as the rest of the MACO's took defensive positions around walls and unevenly placed rocks that offered shelter and nothing else.

"We're pinned," Kemper muttered the minute he got his bearings again and took a good look at the situation at hand. Turning his head slightly, he regarded the linguist/guide next to him with a tired look. "Now would be a really good time for you to pull off a miracle."

Hoshi looked frantically about, her mind racing to grasp at any solution she could find. A deadly shot rained rocks down on her as she muffled a shriek of surprised with both hands over her mouth. For a moment, she simply stared at the opposite rock wall, her mind a total blank.

"Easy does it, girl," Tucker said as he ducked a high shot and nearly crushed her as he moved into position next to her. "You did your part, now we do ours."

"Don't you mean _ours_, Commander?" Sanchez said rather lightheartedly given the situation. He swung around the edge of his rock and fired twice before ducking behind again. "Any ideas?"

Hayes repositioned the rifle in his hand so it wouldn't bounce against his injuries. "Reed?"

"Yeah?" Malcolm replied firing again with his hand pistol and wishing for a good solid rifle.

"I can cover you while you make a retreat," Matt suggested as he took another shot, almost smiling in satisfaction as a painful grunt announced that he hit his target.

"Negative," Reed replied. "You'll get over-run and it won't guarantee we'd make it out."

"I concur," Tucker hollered over the noise around them before Hayes could argue further. "We stick together."

"Ahh…" Coates fell back as she dropped her weapon and clutched her right hand with her left.

"Katie!" Kemper made a move to go to her but pulled back when a shot almost hit his face. "Katie, you all right?"

Forcing the pain out of her voice, "I'm…" she couldn't quite keep the tremor out of voice. "I'm fine. My hand… my fingers are burnt." Coates could feel her eyes tear as she squeezed the injured digits tightly and prayed that she wasn't doing more damage to them. Her whole hand seemed to be on fire with pain.

"Romero!" Hayes called out.

Jason waited a heartbeat before making a hasty move across the cavern to where Coates was doubled over, her hands pressed tightly against her middle. "Come on, girl, let me see."

"We need a way out!" Tucker stated the obvious.

"I'm open for suggestions!"

-&-&-&-

"Do you hear that?" Hawkins asked as he tightened his hand around his weapon.

"Hear what?" Tanner asked absentmindedly as he struggled with the next set of words on the wall.

"That sounded like energy phaser," Hawkins replied tilting his head toward the entrance of one tunnel.

Chang frowned and left his position by the second tunnel. Straining his ears, he picked out the sound of rapid wheezing noises that sounded all too familiar. "I think you're right; that's definitely energy phasers."

The two men turned and looked at Lt. McKinsie for a moment as she glanced first at the frustrated linguist before moving to stand next to the her comrades. Taking two steps into the tunnels, she leaned her ear in and heard the tell-tale sounds of battle. "I think they're in trouble," she murmured softly. "Tanner?"

"Yeah?"

"What does this mean?" McKinsie pointed to the three marking by the tunnel door.

Refocusing his eyes, Donald Tanner concentrated for a moment. "Meeting hall, generator and water supply."

"Generator?" Hawkins asked mildly.

McKinsie shook her head. "I think we found our people," she nodded to the others. "Let's go."

Taking the lead, Jean Marie moved with more caution and less noise than she had previously. She caught sight of a Reptilian and pulled back just before she could be spotted. Heart pounding, she looked back at the others with a nod. Pointing to Tanner, she pointed to their six. She did not intend be to snuck up on the way the Reptilians were about to be. Motioning to the other two, she situated them in different locations before reaching into her pack and pulling out a flash grenade. Showing her intentions, she held up three fingers. Chang and Hawkins nodded their understanding and watched the countdown on her hand.

Taking a deep breath, Jean Marie held up three fingers. Watched Chang nod his head, folded one down and depressing the activation button she nodded to Hawkins and folded the second finger, leaving only one as se braced herself. Taking a deep breath she shouted, "LIGHT IN THE SKY!" and threw the grenade overhead.

The away team had barely gotten over their surprise and averted their eyes when the enemy looked up in time to have their corneas fried. The howls of anger and pain filled the air seconds before the sound of pulse rifles filtered through the air again.

-&-&-&-

"TRAVIS!"

"Sorry, sir," Travis replied automatically as he concentrated on keeping them within orbit of the planet.

"Durley, keep them off our tail," Archer barked sharply as he got off the floor… yet again. At the rate he was going, the cleaning crew wasn't going to need to dust the carpet for another month. "And what the hell happened to taking out their propulsion?"

"I can't get a clear shot sir," Durley answered as he sent intercepting shafts to divert the incoming torpedo. "We need to be behind them, not in front, for me to aim."

Mayweather turned his head and glared at the lieutenant.

Durley answered with an apologetic shrug.

Shaking his head, Travis took a breath and put his life on the line, "Captain, permission to break obit."

Archer didn't even have to think about it. "Denied."

"Captain," Travis paused as he concentrated on dodging several shots. "I can defend the ship but I can't help with the offensive if I'm trapped in a zone. And I can't guarantee that we're going to be in the right place at the right time when the shuttle breaks atmosphere. What if the Reptilians get to them first?"

T'Pol's brows rose to just below her hairline. It was the first time she'd heard a member of the bridge crew question the captain's order… excluding the time the Captain was under the influence of the Insectoid. "Captain, the ensign does raise a good point."

Jonathan felt his heart contract a little at the thought of leaving his people defenseless. "What are you suggesting, Ensign?"

Travis found himself thankful of the logical science officer for the first time since coming onboard. "I just need a few minutes to draw the Reptilians out and place a little chase."

"You can get behind them?"

"Yes, sir; I know I can."

It was the conviction in Travis' tone that tipped the scale. "Then get us behind the ship and let's end this game."

"Yes sir."

-&-&-&-

"Are you sure stunning them is going to do the trick?" Sanchez asked cautiously, nudging the nearest one with the toes of his boots.

"We're not murderers," Reed said as he too checked the fallen bodies carefully.

"McKinsie, report!" Hayes said as he watched Jean Marie pick her way carefully among the fallen enemy. Chang and Hawkins were holding their positions at the entrance.

"The Captain sent us as a rescue team, sir," McKinsie replied calmly, her eyes narrowing as Coates and Kemper came into her view. "We have to hurry; Enterprise is fending off the enemy in orbit."

"Damn it," Tucker looped one arm around Jamison and helped to pull the lieutenant into a semi-standing position. Nothing on this mission had gone according to plan. "How many ships?"

"Only one now."

"Now?" Reed asked as he motioned the rest of the away team through.

"There were originally five, sir." McKinsie grabbed Kemper's arm when he came closer. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"Later," Kemper murmured as he allowed himself to lean against her.

"Katie?" McKinsie asked.

Sgt. Coates shook her head and struggled with holding her rifle with her left hand.

"Hoshi, get us back to the shuttle!" Tucker ordered.

Moving quickly in front of the others, she only stopped when Hayes reached out and grabbed her arm with a warning look. She shook her head at him and pointed to the two MACO's still at the entrance. Hayes shook his head at her. "Romero, Hawkins, Chang, stay in front of her."

Romero was the only one that understood the command, though neither of the other two questioned it.

"Let get out of here," Sanchez complained as they all flanked the wounded and followed Ensign Sato out.

-&-&-&-

"Nice hit!" Travis cheered as he brought the ship around and gave Durley a clear shot of the Reptilian's weaponry pods now that their engines were gone.

"Good job, Lieutenant," Captain Archer said as he grinned at the neatly framed picture of the smoking ship's warp drive.

Durley didn't allow the praised to go to his head, but carefully stored it for when he could be alone and gloat in peace. Taking aim, he fired upon the Reptilian gunnery pods and took them out with three quick shots from the phase cannons. "Enemy ship disabled."

"And not a moment too soon," Lt. Anderson at the communication station said with a shake of his head. "Incoming from Shuttle One."

Jon was out of his chair in a flash. "Put it through."

"Shuttle One to Enterprise," Tucker's accented voice had never sounded sweeter.

"Archer here. Give me good news, Trip."

"Mission accomplished, sir."

Archer's reply was lost in the sudden cheer from the rest of the bridge crew (minus T'Pol who found the show quite disturbing). "I'll hear the rest of the report when you get in. Good job, away team."

"Thanks for sending in the cavalry, sir," Tucker couldn't help but added.

"I like my crew…I mean to keep them around," Archer responded. "I want to see the team the minute you get in."

"Sir," Reed interrupted.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"We've got wounded."

There was a terrible silence that lasted only a second but felt like a lifetime. "I'll have Phlox meet you down the in the shuttle bay."

"Thank you, sir."

-&-&-&-

"Well?" Tucker asked as he watched his best friend finish the written report submitted by Hayes, Reed and himself collaboratively. They had done so in a hurry on the shuttle, knowing the captain would want to read it while the rest of the away team was in sickbay and decon.

Jon dropped the report back on the desk and signed deeply. "You guys had quite an adventure."

"More than we expected," Reed muttered tiredly as he leaned back in his chair instead of sitting up straight-rod as was his habit. "But we pulled though nicely, everyone performed well… especially Hoshi."

"She's really growing as an officer," Tucker added with a smile, remembering the way she had ignored her fears to save another. "She'd make a fine captain one day."

Archer nodded. "Good. Star Fleet's going to need more people like her someday." He leaned back and regarded Reed for a moment. "So Lieutenant, how did you enjoy your joint mission with the MACO's?"

Reed paused a moment. "They… performed their duties efficiently and successfully."

Trip laughed. "And ah think a couple of them's got a crush now."

"Hoshi?" Archer asked mildly.

"Ain't it always?"

Jon laughed, suddenly feeling very good. "Where is the rest of the away team now?"

"Enjoying what little free time they have," Reed replied without addressing the 'crush' issue. He didn't want to think about it. "I doubt we're going to get much of it in the near future."

That sobered Archer. "Yeah."

-&-&-&-

Hayes sighed and listened absentmindedly at the chattering of his team. Sanchez regaled the rest of the group with the daring underwater rescue that still left some of them with nightmares. McKensie was laughingly informing the away team members of what they did in the armory that Lt. Reed was sure to have kittens about. Chang described for everyone the shuttle ride from hell. Hawkins wanted more details on the mission mishaps. And Coates was inviting the girls to a night out of celebration pulled together by the Fleeters but only for the ladies, though the men protested and expressed their disappointment quite vocally.

The Major couldn't care less. He had a debriefing report to write, a separate one for his MACO report; a task he found more daunting than having to go hand-to-hand with Reptilians. He had training sessions to plan, including incorporating some diving simulations that were apparently necessary. He was not going to be able to use his left arm for the next three weeks. Dr. Phlox had issued a dire warning with a happily smiling face that left Matt a little in fear of even contemplating the disobedience of medical orders. And he simply hurt all over.

He didn't just hurt; he **_HURT_**! …A fact he was not about to disclose to the rest of the ship by motion or expression.

Finishing the hot meal of steak and potatoes - first decent meal in five days - that settled quite nicely in his stomach, he pulled the dessert plate forward and looked eagerly at the chef's famous pecan pie with a large dollop of whipped cream on top. And then… he remembered a little bet he made.

Making a face, and surprised that he didn't feel as disappointed as he thought he should be, Hayes tapped Chang lightly on the shoulder to get the Corporal's attention. "Take this to Ensign Sato, will you?" he requested, pushing the dessert plate to the man. He wasn't about to do it himself, couldn't really with the bruise on his calf that was creating a slight limp when he walked.

Chang's whole face reflected his surprise. "Sir?"

Hayes rolled his eyes and tilted his head toward the linguist four tables away with a couple of other Fleeters. "I lost a bet."

Romero, Kemp, Sanchez and Coates all stared wide mouthed. "You gambled, sir?"

"Yes," he snapped, a little annoyed that the rest of his people thought him so rigid. "And I lost."

Chang nodded his head, lips twitching with amusement, and got up. He made his way over to Ensign Sato, feeling the eyes of his fellow MACOs on his back. It was on everyone's mind: _"What kind of bet did the prim and proper Major Hayes make?"_

Matt refused to look.

Chang placed the dessert plate in front of the bemused Ensign Sato and leaned down to whisper something for her ears only. The rest of the ensign's party was watching with rabid fascination. Hoshi grinned suddenly, her whole face animated with fun as she glanced over. She thanked Corporal Chang and watched him return to the MACOs table before saying something to her companions and getting up with the dessert plate to make her way over.

Had he been able to stand up without groaning, Matt would have made a speedy exit. _"Oh god, she's not going to…"_

"Here she comes," Sanchez announced in a sing-songy voice.

Hayes braced himself.

"Hello," Hoshi said setting the plate down in front of the major and nudging Sgt. Coates with her hip to make room for herself on the edge of Katie's chair. She exchanged quick amusing glances with the female MACO officers before turning back to the major, who was watching her steadily but with a wary look in his eyes. She nudged the pie forward another inch. "Consider this repayment for saving my life."

Matt's eyes narrowed, looking for the catch. "I was doing my job."

"Yes, I know," she made a slight movement with her shoulder. "But it doesn't mean I'm not grateful for your quick reflexes, big guns and wide shoulders."

Kemper and Sanchez both sprayed coffee across the table and, fortunately for the rest of the group, right at each other.

Hayes couldn't tell by her oh-so innocent face whether she was serious or just teasing. But since he wanted the pie, loved the pie, and was still hungry after five days of lousy Star Fleet rations, he nodded and sank his fork into the pie. "Okay then." His team could think what they want; he was too tired to care.

Satisfied with Hayes' brief answer, Hoshi turned to Sgt. Coates. "How's the hand?"

"Healing."

"Good," Hoshi grinned. "You invited the others?"

Rubbing a quick hand over her mouth, Katie had to physically wipe the grin off her face. "Yeah, we're coming. What's on the menu tonight?"

Gleefully, Hoshi replied. "Apple cinnamon pies and fudge brownie cakes, hard cider for those that don't need to worry about pulling Gamma Shifts and sparkling apple cider for those that do." She gave McKinsie a wink. "And for entertainment: a brand spanking new VR, courtesy of the ladies in engineering."

Second Lieutenant Jean Marie McKinsie swallowed her juice before asking the all-critical question buzzing in her mind since conversing with Katie earlier. "It doesn't involve Hawkins, right?"

Hawkins nearly fell out of his seat. "What?"

Hoshi waved the question away negligently and forced herself not to start giggling like a twelve-year-old at her first slumber party. "I don't think so. Jodi tagged this one. It's probably going to be one of the armory boys. But with engineers, it's hard to say one day to the next. The science teams are more predictable. Besides… um…" She leaned over Katie and gave Lt. McKinsie an odd look. "Lindsey said something about boys and their torpedoes?"

Jean Marie covered her mouth quickly and could only respond with a frantic nod, waving the question away for the estrogen-fest later.

Nodding her understanding, Hoshi stood up. "See you ladies later." She turned and looked at Major Hayes, who was heartily tucking into the pecan pie. Deciding that it was definitely worth the shock factor, she reached over and tipped Hayes' head back. And while his eyes still registered surprise, she slanted her mouth quietly over his, lingering to savor the warmth of his lips and the sweetness of the pie. Pulling back, her curiosity satisfied, she gave him a smile of pure sweet innocence and patted him once on the shoulder.

It took a moment for his melted brain to solidify, but eventually Hayes got his mind functioning again. Much bemused, Matt blinked. "I thought the pie was the thanks."

"Oh it is," she assured him with a vigorous nod.

That didn't help to clear up anything in his befuddled mind. "Then what was the kiss for?"

Hoshi gave a much amused laugh. "That was solely for me." She winked and took off. "Sleep well, Major."

Matt watched Hoshi go, waited until after the doors to the mess hall had closed behind her and her twittering friends, to let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding the entire time. Slumping in his chair, a first for him as his team watched, Matt tossed the fork on the table beside the half eaten pie, his appetite for it now subdued by an appetite of another sort. "How that hell is a man supposed to _sleep_ after that?"

_Fin…._

Okay guys, the end. Thanks for joining me in this little trip through… whatever you want to call it. An extra special thanks to Steph. Take a bow, darling; you've been wonderful.


End file.
